An emergency meeting will be held by Uefa on Thursday afternoon in connection with its response to the World Cup stakeholder proposal that was made controversially by Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino.
The European football authority continued with its attacks on the proposals after it became known that Fifa had sent a letter, as seen by the BBC, to all 211 member associations allowing them until 19 September to consider their options for accepting the offer and the initial $20 million (£15m).
“We have learned of Fifa’s deadline to associations to support their proposals or have the one-off payout offer withdrawn,” said Uefa. “This says everything you need to know about this plan.”
This was the second statement made by Uefa on this matter, while the first one stated that the Fifa “crossed a line.”
What will be discussed at the meeting is not clear yet, as the meeting will be virtual, per BBC Sport.
Many federations, including the English Football Association, are infuriated after they found out via the media about the proposal for selling 20% stake in FIFA competitions to private investors through the Thrive Eternal, an investment entity owned by Joshua Kushner, who is the brother-in-law of Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US President, Donald Trump.
Debbie Hewitt, FA chairwoman, was among the Fifa vice presidents who were not warned before about the proposal in question. Uefa’s dissatisfaction has been shared by the confederations in Asia, South America, and North and Central America.
According to the former FA and Manchester City chairman David Bernstein, England should “withdraw” from the World Cup if Infantino’s proposals come true.
Three semifinalists in the 2026 World Cup are Uefa member states. It knows that if its members withdraw from the World Cup, the concept becomes financially unviable.
