European football federations reject FIFA's commercial proposal

On July 30, 2026, UEFA held an emergency online meeting of its member federation presidents to address a surprise proposal from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The proposal aimed to create a new commercial subsidiary to manage rights for major football competitions, which would involve private investors. Cyprus Football Association (CFA) President Charalambos Loizidis initially stated that the proposal required careful evaluation, emphasizing that European federations would act collectively rather than individually.

Following the evaluation process, all 55 European member associations, including the CFA, reached a unanimous decision to reject the proposal. The federations argued that UEFA has a duty to protect the autonomy and integrity of key tournaments, including the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and the European Championship.

Loizidis stressed that the focus should instead remain on the transparent distribution of FIFA's existing financial surpluses from the World Cup to support national associations and the development of the sport globally. Moving forward, the European bloc plans to coordinate with other international football confederations to build a broader opposition front against the integration of private investors into these commercial rights.