Zurich: UEFA announced that FIFA's current leadership has lost the confidence of much of the football community. This announcement comes as the world governing body decided to withdraw controversial plans to sell a stake in its competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, to private investors.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, UEFA, European football's governing body, released a statement expressing that not only has FIFA lost UEFA's confidence, but also that of many other members of the football community. The proposal to sell a stake was "unanimously rejected" by UEFA's member associations, along with many other federations and confederations worldwide.

UEFA extended gratitude towards fans, leagues, clubs, players, national associations, confederations, political leaders, and commentators for their opposition to the proposal. "Football is not for sale," UEFA stated, while criticizing the process behind the proposal as hasty and secretive, driven by individuals whose actions were considered detrimental to the game.

The organization also highlighted that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had not fulfilled his commitments made during his 2016 election campaign, which included promises of transparency and the use of FIFA's financial resources for football development. UEFA expressed its intent to collaborate with member associations and other confederations to scrutinize the proposal's origins and prevent recurrence of similar initiatives.

UEFA emphasized that while the proposal's rejection is a win for the sport, efforts to rebuild trust in FIFA have only just begun.