Tough stance! UEFA's 55 associations officially announce: If FIFA insists on selling shares, they will jointly boycott the World Cup

On July 30, Beijing time, UEFA made a statement about FIFA's plan to create a business subsidiary and sell shares, announcing that all 55 member associations will boycott all FIFA events, including the World Cup, as long as the proposal remains in place.

In the statement, UEFA defiantly hit back at FIFA: "Some things are extremely valuable and cannot be measured by money. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football, and it will always belong to football. As long as Europe has a voice, it will never be sold."

Previously, FIFA announced plans to establish a commercial subsidiary to operate major events including the World Cup, and allow external investors to purchase a portion of the company's shares. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has even notified all 211 member associations that they must sign the agreement by September 19 or face financial consequences.

As soon as FIFA's plan was exposed, it sparked huge controversy. Among them, UEFA's reaction was the most intense. UEFA even publicly criticized FIFA, accusing it of using football "to benefit itself and its stakeholders."

UEFA has now also urgently convened an online meeting, during which the 55 UEFA member associations unanimously agreed that if FIFA continues to stubbornly push forward with privatization, they will jointly boycott participation in the World Cup.

This decision, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of England's only World Cup win in 1966, could very likely cause Infantino's plan to collapse.

Because the prospect of holding the men's World Cup, women's World Cup, and other tournaments without European participation would essentially kill the project, as investors would face buying shares in an event that does not include most of the world's strongest teams.