After FIFA's U-turn

“A Shabby Deal!” UEFA Attacks Infantino Again

The lines are drawn: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin (left) and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.(Bild: AP/Matthias Schrader)

A scathing rebuke from UEFA! The European soccer federation has launched a harsh attack on world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, even after FIFA abandoned its investor plans.

“The current FIFA leadership has lost not only UEFA’s trust, but also that of many other members of the soccer family,” the continental federation stated. UEFA welcomed FIFA’s decision—led by President Gianni Infantino—to scrap its plans to sell the commercial World Cup rights to investors.

FIFA’s decision had been preceded by massive protests, particularly from Europe—but the continental federations in Asia as well as North and Central America also rejected Infantino’s plans. The Swiss official is under intense pressure; many in the soccer world and even in politics are calling for his resignation.

“Sleazy” and “Opaque” Deal
UEFA strongly criticized Infantino’s plans. “The sleazy, behind-closed-doors, andopaque dealthat he orchestrated and subsequently tried to push through was the exact opposite of transparency.” Infantino also failed to channel FIFA’s billions in reserves to the national associations and, by extension, to soccer.

Instead, Infantino had most recently proposed spinning off a portion of the World Cup rights into a subsidiary and raising large sums by selling them to investors. According to reports, FIFA then set a deadline of September 19 for the member associations to approve the plans and offered special payments in return.

UEFA Calls for Consequences
“We cannot continue like this—with secret maneuvers concocted at breakneck speed by faceless individuals, the benefits of which for the sport are questionable,” UEFA stated. “We must identify those responsible and hold them accountable.”

The European governing body announced that it would immediately begin discussions with partners worldwide to find new ways to distribute FIFA funds. “This is a victory for the entire game,” UEFA wrote. “But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has been withdrawn. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.”