Fifa president Gianni Infantino is a man who likes to get his own way. But he now faces the biggest crisis of his time in charge of international football’s governing body. There is every chance it could ultimately cost him his job, and he has no one to blame but himself. In an unprecedented move, England and the other European nations belonging to Uefa, the European football league, have agreed to boycott all Fifa competitions if Infantino presses ahead with his plans to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors.
Fifa has reacted by insisting it won’t change course. ‘Nobody is selling football,’ it said in a statement. ‘This is not something Fifa would ever entertain.’ Few can predict with certainty what happens next.
The unanimous decision in favour of a boycott was taken at a hastily convened crisis meeting of Uefa’s 55 member nations over the hugely controversial sell-off plans to generate £3.1 billion in investment for Fifa tournaments. The talks lasted almost two hours, culminating in a united front. This was despite initial fears that some of the smaller nations, tempted by the huge sums on offer, might back the plans. The message conveyed in the official statement was blunt:
