UEFA's 55 members threaten World Cup boycott over FIFA stake sale
What's next: FIFA faces pressure before a Sept. 19 deadline to drop plans to sell minority stakes in a new World Cup rights company.
UEFA and its 55 national associations threatened on Thursday to pull out of FIFA competitions, including the men's and women's World Cup, if FIFA moves ahead with plans to sell stakes in the tournaments to private investors. The warning followed an emergency UEFA meeting and marks an extraordinary escalation in a fight over FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proposal to create a company to manage commercial rights for events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup. UEFA said the plan would hand part of football's biggest competitions to outside investors and undermine governance. The standoff could hit next year's Women's World Cup first and raises pressure on FIFA before countries' Sept. 19 deadline to sign on to the scheme.