FOOTBALL'S CIVIL WAR! UEFA nations could BOYCOTT the next World Cup in light of FIFA boss Infantino's plot to sell tournament

European nations will discuss the possibility of boycotting the next World Cup in response to FIFA's controversial idea to seek private investment. FIFA's announcement on Tuesday has sent shockwaves through the football world - and efforts to stop the plans are now being plotted.

World football's governing body says it wants to create a subsidiary worth $20billion (£15bn) and then sell off 20 per cent of FIFA Forward Enterprise to investors to raise $4.2bn (£3.16bn). If FIFA's members vote through the idea then Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared, would lead the investors.

During Gianni Infantino's time as president, FIFA has embarked upon a rapid commercialisation; FIFA is predicted to make $13billion (£9.6bn) in the four-year cycle up to 2026 - an increase of 72 per cent on the previous cycle. Infantino's expansionism has solidified his power, but it seems this step could be one too far.

The ideas have been met with an immediate backlash with Prime Minister Andy Burnham issuing a statement on X: "Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.

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"The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone's to sell. Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out. Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will."

And according to multiple reports, UEFA is organising an emergency meeting with its 55 members this week where they will plan their response. The Football Association was blindsided by FIFA's announcement and will join UEFA's members in deciding the next step.

A boycott of the next men's World Cup in 2030, which is set to be held across Spain, Morocco and Portugal, is one of the options on the table. The women's World Cup is next year in Brazil and could also be used as a threat to FIFA.

In a statement on Tuesday, UEFA reacted furiously: “This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross. UEFA takes it extremely seriously. So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.

"The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”

Despite UEFA's strong words, Infantino remains secure in his position at the head of FIFA, with the Guardian reporting that he has the endorsement of 200 members for re-election. He worked hard networking during the World Cup and is on course for a fourth term as FIFA president, in large part due to the exponential increase in revenue, which has made him extremely popular with smaller members.

However, he faces a significant threat from UEFA, which represents the strongest powerbase of nations. There is precedent for such a threat forcing FIFA to back down: in 2021 FIFA dropped a proposal to stage the World Cup every two years after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and his members said they wouldn't participate.

Tuesday's bombshell has been compared by some to the European Super League debacle of 2021 when 12 clubs unsuccessfully tried to break away from UEFA to form a new competition. The backlash against FIFA's idea has been swift and forceful.

La Liga president Javier Tebas posted on X: "It doesn't seem like a reform. It seems like an electoral campaign financed with the future of football. Development cannot be used to buy votes or silences.

"The competitions and commercial rights of FIFA are not the personal patrimony of Infantino. Whoever mixes politics, discipline, money, and power without transparency cannot lead anything. Infantino is not the solution to FIFA's governance. He is the problem. We are venturing deeper into the Iceberg and what remains to surface."

Football Supporters Europe said: “The World Cup is not for sale. Enough of this charade. FIFA member associations - and everyone who cares about the future of the game - must stand up to the man who wants to sell world football. Gianni Infantino must go.”