UEFA moves to boycott World Cup over FIFA private-investor plan

BAGHDAD, Iraq — UEFA has decided to boycott the World Cup and other international tournaments in protest of FIFA's plan to sell shares to outside investors in a subsidiary that would run its competitions. The decision was taken unanimously by member federations at an online meeting and is tied to the FIFA Forward Enterprise, a commercial vehicle valued at around $20 billion under which up to 20 percent of shares would be offered to investors. FIFA's investment adviser Greg Maffei, the former CEO of Liberty Media, said FIFA would retain full control of the new entity and that only a minority stake would be sold, describing the arrangement as an investment rather than a sale. He added that the project aimed to raise up to $4.2 billion, with profits directed to FIFA's non-commercial activities. UEFA, European football's governing body, has hardened its stance against the restructuring proposal by extending its protest to cover the tournaments themselves. The organization has not yet published a concrete list of sanctions affecting participation and cooperation with the competitions through its member federations.