European football's governing body, UEFA, announced on Thursday that it would boycott FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, if FIFA proceeds with plans to sell a stake in its commercial operations to private investors.

Following an emergency meeting, UEFA, which represents 55 of FIFA's 211 member associations, issued a statement calling the proposal from FIFA's leadership, made without consulting members, "irresponsible and untenable." UEFA made it clear that as long as the proposal remains, its member associations will not participate in any FIFA tournaments, unless the plan is completely abandoned and FIFA makes a binding commitment to never again open governing rights or events to private ownership.

On Tuesday, FIFA announced plans to create a new entity called "FIFA Future Enterprises" (FFE) and sell a 20% stake in it to raise up to $4.2 billion. FIFA stated that this entity would take over all commercial and event operations, while external investors would hold only a minority stake and have no role in operational decisions.

In its statement, UEFA emphasized: "The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. No part of it should be handed over to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the plan, calling it a "golden opportunity for global football development" and stressed that for member associations, it is "an option, not an obligation." According to FIFA, the plan could provide each member association with a one-time payment of approximately $20 million and increase the baseline funding for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.

The proposal has also sparked attention regarding Infantino's relationship with the family of former U.S. President Donald Trump. FIFA confirmed that Thrive Eternal, a private equity firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, is expected to lead the investment group.

The North American football governing body, Concacaf, also expressed concern about the plan, stating it was disappointing that the proposal was designed and made public without adequate discussion with relevant governance bodies and stakeholders.

UEFA concluded its statement: "Some things are too important to sell. As long as Europe has a voice, the World Cup will never be sold."

The relationship between UEFA and FIFA can be described as "formal subordination, substantive competition."

In terms of organizational structure, UEFA is one of six continental confederations under FIFA, bound by its statutes. However, in practice, UEFA enjoys a high degree of autonomy due to its strong commercial power, event influence (such as the European Championship), and the collective strength of its 55 member associations.

The relationship has long been dominated by a struggle of interests. When FIFA attempts to implement policies that impact UEFA's core interests (such as the current plan to sell World Cup commercial rights to private equity), UEFA employs tough measures like boycotts to challenge FIFA's global governance authority. As such, the two entities are more in a relationship of global versus regional power checks than a strict hierarchy.