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. 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. — Real Madrid C.F. “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. “Clubs are the foundation on which national team football and the World Cup are built,” continued the Real Madrid statement.