Real Madrid have praised Uefa for helping protect football “at a decisive moment” after Fifa abandoned plans to sell stakes in a World Cup company to private investors.
Opposition from three confederations prompted Fifa to drop the controversial proposal, dealing a significant setback to president Gianni Infantino.
Uefa had pledged to boycott Fifa competitions until the idea was scrapped and intensified pressure on Infantino by declaring he had “lost the confidence” of European football’s governing body.
Uefa is considering further action, including the possibility of triggering a no-confidence vote in Swiss official Infantino, which would require the backing of 43 Fifa member nations.
“Real Madrid values very positively the decision taken by Fifa to abandon the proposal to partially sell the commercial rights of its competitions,” read a statement from the 15-time European champions.
“Our club considers that it is good news for football, for its institutions and, above all, for the millions of fans of our beloved sport.
“Real Madrid would like to express its gratitude to Uefa, the confederations and federations, and all the institutions that firmly and responsibly opposed this project. Their unity and sense of duty have protected football at a decisive moment.”
In addition to Uefa, Concacaf, which governs football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), also spoke out against the plans.
Infantino had sought approval from national associations to establish Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company which would oversee the commercial and operational aspects of its competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
The most controversial element of the plan was the proposed sale of a 20 per cent stake to private investors.
Carlos Cordeiro – Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance – resigned over the matter, saying the proposal was “a bad deal for football” and would “mortgage football’s future”.
Fifa chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said the governing body’s administration had been “deceived” about the project.
“Clubs are the foundation on which national team football and the World Cup are built,” continued the Real Madrid statement.
“It is these who discover, train, develop and put at the service of the national teams the players who make these great competitions possible.
“National team football and the World Cup are, above all, events of public interest, and they make up a heritage that belongs to nations, fans and society as a whole.
“For this reason, we believe that they should never be treated as simple financial assets intended to be marketed for the benefit of a few.”
