UEFA will hold an emergency meeting today after FIFA proposed selling stakes in its competitions.

UEFA's 55 member nations are reportedly considering boycotting the FIFA World Cup and will meet this afternoon to discuss how to collectively respond to FIFA's plan to set up a US$20 billion independent company to operate its competitions, 20% of which will be sold to external investors.

The main investor in the subsidiary (tentatively named FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE)) is Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. These plans, announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday, have drawn accusations that football is being "sold off" and have attracted widespread criticism from within and outside the football world.

UEFA stated that the proposal "crossed a line that football governing bodies should never cross," while the FA expressed deep concern about the "lack of process and governance" and "the clear substance and principles involved." Several regional governing bodies, including CONCACAF and the AFC, stated that FIFA had not consulted them before making the announcement.

On Wednesday, the European Leagues, representing over 1,000 clubs in 31 European countries, issued a statement condemning the proposal, and the Premier League, as a founding member of the European Leagues, expressed "full support for the statement." Sepp Blatter, who served as FIFA president from 1998 to 2015, also voiced criticism in an interview, warning that these plans could make football lose its "soul."

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham posted on social media: "Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the fans who fill the stands and stand on the sidelines every week, come rain or shine." However, some also seem to support FIFA's proposal. David Tecl, president of the Czech Football Association, said the proposal would provide valuable additional funding for grassroots football and infrastructure development.

Infantino has asked national associations to decide whether to support his plans by September 19, promising an additional US$40 million in incentives to encourage their acceptance. He made the proposal in a letter to FIFA's 211 member associations, warning that funding for development, grassroots football, and national teams would be significantly reduced if they did not support his plans.

He stated that the establishment of FFE would require the support of its council and more than 50% of its members, and these plans were proposed after a series of controversies during the FIFA World Cup. FIFA's decision to suspend Balogun's red card ban after Trump called Infantino came just before the USA's Round of 16 match against Belgium.

This decision drew widespread criticism and further fueled accusations that the FIFA president was too close to Trump. Earlier this year, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Award. The increasing commercialization of the FIFA World Cup, such as soaring ticket prices and the introduction of water breaks (to allow for more advertisements), has also been widely criticized.

Infantino stated that critics of this summer's FIFA World Cup were "blinded by hatred" and spread "false rumors." On Monday, he also issued a statement on his and FIFA's social media accounts, saying that they missed all the "joy and happiness" that the event brought.

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