UEFA says it has lost confidence in FIFA leadership after investment plan collapse

UEFA declared it has lost all confidence in FIFA's current leadership, including President Gianni Infantino, after a plan to sell World Cup profits to private investors was scrapped. The European soccer body called the proposal a "secret scheme" with "dubious benefit to the game."

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No option should be off the table.

Infantino's ambitious plan to create a $20 billion company to run the World Cup with private investors faced widespread opposition. UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation all voiced their disapproval. The backlash intensified when Infantino's senior adviser resigned, stating the project was "the project of one person." FIFA's chief operating officer also expressed that staff were deceived by Infantino's lack of transparency.

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The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.

UEFA stated that it would work with its member associations and other confederations to understand how the situation occurred and to prevent similar incidents in the future. The organization emphasized that no option should be off the table in addressing the current leadership's actions. The incident highlights a major power struggle within global soccer governance.

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We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game.