{"id":5725,"date":"2026-07-30T13:10:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5725"},"modified":"2026-07-30T13:10:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:10:05","slug":"exclusive-uefa-to-boycott-world-cup-over-fifa-bosss-20b-cash-grab-throwing-global-soccer-into-chaos-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5725","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | UEFA to boycott World Cup over FIFA boss’s $20B cash grab \u2014 throwing global soccer into chaos: sources"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

UEFA, European soccer\u2019s 55-member governing body, is set to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA-organized competitions in protest of a $20 billion Wall Street-style takeover of the global game, sources familiar with the matter told The Post.<\/p>\n

Read more Ben Affleck wins elusive $1M prize with \u2018Jeopardy!\u2019 champ Jamie Ding on \u2018Who Wants to Be a Millionaire\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

The boycott blueprint \u2014 set to be formally rubber-stamped Thursday during emergency talks hosted from Switzerland that start at 9am Eastern \u2014 would see European nations withdraw from \u201call FIFA competitions\u201d organized by the Zurich-based nonprofit.<\/p>\n

Livid over Trump-loving FIFA President Gianni Infantino\u2019s aggressive moves to commercialize global soccer, Europe\u2019s soccer bosses are \u201cvery confident\u201d they will secure \u201ca landslide majority\u201d of \u201cmore than 50 countries\u201d to vote against his plans, according to insiders.<\/p>\n

One source said that \u201cit could even be a clean sweep\u201d despite the head of the Czech soccer association initially indicating he supported the privatization idea.<\/p>\n

If UEFA pulls the trigger Thursday, it will plunge FIFA into the darkest crisis of its 122-year history.<\/p>\n

A boycott means the 2030 World Cup goes on without global powerhouses like England, France, Spain, and Germany \u2014 nations that have won every World Cup but one since 2006.<\/p>\n

Without the continent\u2019s biggest stars and deepest television markets, the World Cup is effectively crippled, meaning Infantino\u2019s multibillion-dollar pitch to Wall Street could be dead on arrival.<\/p>\n

The boycott would includes the men\u2019s and women\u2019s World Cups, youth championships, and the expanded Club World Cup, a global playoff between the top franchises from each continent.<\/p>\n

However, European teams would continue playing in regional tournaments completely controlled by UEFA, such as the money-spinning Champions League and the European Championship.<\/p>\n

Infantino\u2019s controversial scheme aims to bundle the World Cup\u2019s massive broadcasting, ticketing, and sponsorship rights into a new private subsidiary dubbed FIFA Forward Enterprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s struggling to keep it together,\u201d said one source close to UEFA of Infantino. \u201cThe one thing that\u2019s unifying about him is that everyone hates him. But he\u2019s so deluded is that he doesn\u2019t think that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move marks a stunning escalation in the sport\u2019s global civil war amid anger over a multibillion-dollar deal set to line the pockets of a private equity group close to President Trump\u2019s in-laws, the Kushner family.<\/p>\n

Infantino\u2019s private equity plan, in which US banking giant JPMorgan is reportedly playing an advisory role, still needs approval from FIFA\u2019s 211 member nations, including the United States.<\/p>\n

If passed, Thrive Eternal \u2014 an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner \u2014 is expected to lead the investor group and snap up a 20% stake for just over $4.2 billion.<\/p>\n

Read more Eccentric biohacker Bryan Johnson who uses his son as a \u2018blood boy\u2019 makes unbelievable U-turn<\/a><\/p>\n

The Post has sought comment from UEFA, FIFA, Thrive Capital and JPMorgan.<\/p>\n

Infantino has struck up a close relationship with the current commander-in-chief, even awarding him the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize after he failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n

The boycott threat follows weeks of intense scrutiny over the relationship between the two men.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Trump admitted he directly called Infantino to demand FIFA review a red card issued to American striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, a move that successfully overturned the player\u2019s mandatory suspension. <\/p>\n

To sweeten the deal, Infantino is dangling a massive payday. The former lawyer is promising to hike development payouts for smaller federations from $8 million to a whopping $20 million through 2030, branding the cash grab as the \u201cdemocratization\u201d of soccer.<\/p>\n

But the backlash has spilled from the sports pages into the halls of government across Europe, with politicians furious over the blatant corporatization of a cultural institution.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors,\u201d left-wing British Prime Minister Andy Burnham thundered on social media Wednesday. \u201cThe World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone\u2019s to sell.\u201d<\/p>\n

EU Sports Commissioner Glen Micallef took a thinly veiled shot at American corporate sports culture, telling reporters: \u201cThis isn\u2019t baseball. The FIFA World Cup remains the greatest sporting tournament on the planet. The relentless commercialization of football has become corrosive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because FIFA operates as a massive business in Europe, it must obey the European Union\u2019s strict anti-monopoly laws. Recent EU court rulings made it clear that sports organizations cannot use their power to act like illegal monopolies and break free-market rules.<\/p>\n

Even the typically reserved English Football Association threw its weight behind the boycott, slamming FIFA\u2019s \u201clack of process and governance.\u201d Hans-Joachim Watzke, vice-president of Germany\u2019s soccer association and the former CEO of German giants Borussia Dortmund, echoed the continent\u2019s fury, calling the private equity play an \u201coutright attack on football.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Infantino has already caused consternation among some European supporters by defending \u201cdynamic pricing\u201d that left fans shut out of stadiums due to skyrocketing ticket costs.<\/p>\n

And this is not the first time European nations have poured scorn on his bid to bring private money into the game. <\/p>\n

In 2018, Infantino floated a massive $25 billion deal with a consortium including Japan\u2019s SoftBank to launch a revamped Club World Cup and a new global Nations League, but the proposal was swiftly abandoned due to intense pushback from UEFA.<\/p>\n

The next men\u2019s FIFA World Cup, scheduled for 2030, will be primarily hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. To mark the centenary of the tournament, the opening three matches will be played in South America, hosted by Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. The most recent World Cup took place in 2026, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada<\/p>\n

Read more Dr. Anthony Fauci \u2018America\u2019s most damaging bureaucrat,\u2019 \u2018should go to jail,\u2019 Sen. Ted Cruz says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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