SFA to join UEFA crisis talks over Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan

The Scottish FA is set to lodge formal objections to Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup when UEFA holds emergency talks on the proposal. European football’s governing body convened the crisis meeting after the FIFA president’s privatisation scheme provoked fury across the continental game.

According to reports, the prospect of a boycott of the tournament is among the options set to be discussed at the gathering, as UEFA and its member associations look for leverage to force Infantino to abandon or rework the plan. The Scottish governing body is understood to be one of several national associations preparing to speak out against the proposal when talks take place.

Widespread alarm across the game

Infantino’s plan has already drawn condemnation from a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the Football Association, European Leagues, European Football Clubs, the Union of European Clubs, the Football Supporters Association and Football Supporters Europe. Most have criticised the lack of proper consultation before the scheme emerged, while others have gone further, calling for wholesale change at the top of world football’s governing body.

Figures within UEFA’s own structures and national associations are said to be particularly angered by the unilateral way in which Infantino appears to have developed the proposal, as well as the fundamental principle of privatising football’s flagship international tournament.

Brussels scrutiny looms

Beyond the football politics, the row now carries a legal dimension. The European Commission is understood to be examining whether Infantino’s plan breaches competition law protections, and next steps involving the European Union are expected to be raised as part of Thursday’s discussions.

That scrutiny adds significant weight to the objections already raised by football bodies, giving opponents of the plan a potential regulatory route to challenge FIFA beyond the corridors of football governance itself.

What comes next

With the SFA joining the FA and other national associations in voicing concern, UEFA now faces the task of turning widespread unease into a unified response. Whether that amounts to a genuine boycott threat, a legal challenge via Brussels, or simply sustained public pressure on Infantino remains to be seen.

What is clear is that the FIFA president’s plan has united an unusually broad spectrum of the European game — clubs, leagues, supporters’ groups and national federations alike — in opposition, setting up a significant confrontation over the future ownership of football’s biggest prize.

Read more: UEFA and Andy Burnham slam FIFA’s plan to sell World Cup stakes to investors

Sources

• dailymail.com
• The Independent

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.