UEFA chief slams 'arrogance' of Gianni Infantino over aim to sell World Cup 'to the brother of the US president's son-in-law'

Gravina has fiercely criticized Infantino over a secret project to sell a minority stake in the World Cup. Speaking to Italian newspaper Repubblica, Gravina slammed Infantino's "arrogance" and accused him of treating global football as a personal private asset. Gravina expressed outrage that the $20 billion (£15bn) commercial plan was leaked via the international media without any prior consultation with European governing bodies. The Italian executive warned that football cannot be treated purely as a lucrative business opportunity for wealthy external investors.

The growing rift between FIFA and European football authorities could lead to unprecedented consequences, including a potential boycott of future World Cups. Gravina revealed that European federations are meeting urgently to discuss a unified response to the controversial proposal.

"A project that was reported by the international press, but which FIFA had not discussed with anyone," Gravina said. "This is truly unacceptable. Football is not just business.

"It's even worse (than the Super League). They're selling off football. But football isn't a private asset that you can sell to the highest bidder, how can you sell an asset that isn't yours? Infantino didn't invent it, Ovid was already writing about the game.

When asked if an official boycott by European nations remains a plausible scenario, the UEFA chief did not rule it out.

"The most important thing is to clearly understand the regulatory framework and moral aspects of this innovation: we must force everyone to reflect deeply," he explained. "We will meet in the next few hours, a meeting has been called, we will discuss it."

Gravina raised severe concerns regarding political interference accepted by Infantino, pointing specifically to events during the recent World Cup. He took aim at FIFA's alliance with US investors, including Joshua Kushner, the brother of former US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

"Then there was Trump's interference in the World Cup," Gravina remarked. "Now we discover he wants to sell a portion of the company that controls football to the brother of the US president's son-in-law."

The veteran administrator also argued that football belongs to the people, not to those who happen to hold leadership positions.

"It's serious that they're saying this operation is being done to give more money to the federations, especially in the year of FIFA elections," he added.

"Football, the federations, need respect more than money. Respect for the rules, for the fans, for the athletes, for the managers, respect for the sport. At the World Cup, we saw something unacceptable. The arrogance of assigning to himself a power that does not exist or the ownership of the ball."

The immediate future of the commercial proposal hinges on an upcoming assembly convened by European football leaders. If European federations refuse to participate in the new model, FIFA could face an unprecedented crisis ahead of its flagship competition. The impending discussions in Europe will determine whether a unified front can halt Infantino's World Cup privatisation plans.