Max Eberl Criticizes FIFA's Profit Motive Amid World Cup Boycott Talks
Max Eberl did not bother with diplomacy.
Speaking on Wednesday, the 52-year-old Bayern Munich sporting director tore into FIFA’s latest investment model and the direction he believes the global body is dragging the game.
"I am ashamed that we even discuss such ideas in football. Football does not belong to us," Eberl said, as quoted by Sky Sport. "I have the feeling that FIFA exists solely to make a profit. It disgusts me."
Those are not the words of a fringe figure. From his position of power at the Allianz Arena, Eberl has placed Bayern – and by extension a significant slice of German football – squarely in the camp of open resistance.
Boycott talk grows louder
The confrontation between FIFA and Europe has been simmering for years. Now it is close to boiling over.
Reports of a potential World Cup boycott by UEFA member nations are no longer whispers. They are becoming a serious talking point in corridors of power across the continent, fuelled by Gianni Infantino’s push to secure approval for a lucrative investment deal.
Eberl made it clear where he stands if UEFA’s biggest associations decide to push back collectively.
"Then I would indeed be in favor of us as Europe taking a firm stand and saying: No, we won't participate," he said.
A unified European refusal to take part in a FIFA World Cup would represent an earthquake for the sport. Eberl is not simply warning of discontent; he is openly backing a scenario that would have been unthinkable not long ago.
Sammer’s warning on “emotional credibility”
Not everyone in Germany has chosen Eberl’s incendiary tone, but the concern runs deep.
Matthias Sammer, the former Ballon d'Or winner and current Borussia Dortmund advisor, offered a more nuanced reading of Infantino’s position while still sounding the alarm.
"Gianni Infantino first has to manage to please everyone. That's his job and FIFA's. It's always a fine line," Sammer remarked.
He recognises the modern reality: a global organisation trying to juggle competing interests, commercial pressure, and political demands. Yet even Sammer, so often a voice of balance, fears that line is being crossed.
He warned that the "emotional credibility" of the game is being put at risk in the chase for bigger financial returns and admitted he sees a "danger when the integrity of the game is interfered with."
That word – integrity – sits at the heart of the European backlash. Once stakeholders feel that the core competitive and emotional fabric of football is being tampered with, money alone cannot calm the storm.
Deadline, millions, and a deep mistrust
Infantino is not easing off. He has handed member associations a September deadline to sign off on the deal. On the table: the promise of millions for each federation, a tempting injection of cash for national associations across the world.
The offer is clear. The trust is not.
European governing bodies remain deeply sceptical about what this model means for the long-term health of the sport. The fear is that short-term windfalls come at the cost of competitive balance, calendar sanity, and the authenticity that keeps fans emotionally invested.
For Eberl and the Bayern hierarchy, that trade-off is unacceptable. The club sees the sport’s identity as non-negotiable, even when the sums on offer are eye-watering.
Europe’s choice
Everything now moves towards the upcoming UEFA meetings, where federations will have to pick a side: fall in line with FIFA’s vision or risk triggering the most dramatic split modern football has seen.
The money is ready. The deadline is set. The question is whether Europe is prepared to walk away from the World Cup to defend what it believes football should be.
