UEFA welcomed FIFA's decision to abandon its plans to sell a stake in the World Cup, and said it would work with the relevant parties to ensure that such steps are not taken hastily.
UEFA said in a statement released on Saturday: "UEFA welcomes FIFA's decision to withdraw its plan to sell a stake in its tournaments – including the World Cup – to private entities."
UEFA confirmed that it had lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, stressing that "all options must remain on the table" as part of a comprehensive review it will conduct of Infantino's plan, which was later abandoned.
The 55 member nations of UEFA agreed last Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA tournaments in protest against Infantino's plan.
Infantino was forced to back down from the plan early Saturday morning after his top adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, who was a member of a White House committee, resigned, and the Asian Football Confederation joined Europe and North America in opposing the project.
Infantino had proposed separating FIFA’s commercial activities, including the men’s and women’s World Cup and Club World Cup tournaments, into a $20 billion subsidiary, 20 percent of whose shares would be owned by private investors.
FIFA explained that the "main investor" in the project is a New York-based investment company founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
