UEFA has condemned the possibility of FIFA selling part of its commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors.
The federation published a statement on its X platform page, describing reports about plans to sell a stake in the World Cup as "crossing a red line" that football's governing bodies should not cross under any circumstances.
UEFA called for the matter to be taken very seriously, not only by national associations, but also by leagues, clubs, players, fans, governments and all other stakeholders.
The statement stressed that "the spirit of football and its governance system are not a commodity to be traded," especially given the lack of transparency regarding who will financially benefit from the deal.
The federation added that "no entity owns football" and that FIFA "does not have the right to sell it."
The Telegraph had previously reported that FIFA President Gianni Infantino was considering selling a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
According to the source, the federation plans to create a separate company to manage the tournament, and then sell investors around 20 to 30% of its shares.
