UEFA set to end FIFA boycott threat after Infantino’s plan scrapped
UEFA is preparing to abandon its threat to boycott FIFA competitions after receiving assurances that Gianni Infantino’s controversial private-investment proposal will not return.
UEFA is set to withdraw its threat to boycott FIFA competitions after receiving assurances that Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to allow private investors to acquire stakes in major FIFA competitions will not be revived.
The development follows weeks of tension between European football’s governing body and FIFA after UEFA’s 55 member associations unanimously backed a boycott in July over the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
FIFA later abandoned the plan following widespread opposition, but UEFA maintained that simply scrapping the proposal was not enough and demanded guarantees against any similar move in the future.
According to reports published on Wednesday, those assurances have now been provided, with UEFA members expected to formally end the boycott threat at a meeting in Monaco on Thursday.
The decision would remove the immediate threat to six European teams preparing for the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, which begins on September 5.
England, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and hosts Poland are among the European nations scheduled to compete. The easing of the dispute, however, does not signal an end to UEFA’s wider concerns about Infantino’s leadership.
Italy and Romania have recently withdrawn their support for the FIFA president’s expected bid for another term in 2027, while several European associations have criticised FIFA’s governance and decision-making.
Gianni Infantino continues to retain significant international backing, meaning the dispute could remain an important issue ahead of the FIFA presidential election.
For now, UEFA’s expected decision represents a major step away from a potentially damaging confrontation that could have disrupted several FIFA tournaments and further divided world football.
