UEFA continues to uphold its threat to boycott FIFA, even after Infantino’s apology regarding the unsuccessful World Cup sell-off plan

UEFA has stated that it may still consider a boycott of FIFA competitions, emphasizing that Gianni Infantino has not succeeded in rebuilding trust following the controversy surrounding the World Cup sell-off.

UEFA has asserted that its member associations may still choose to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, even after FIFA president Gianni Infantino issued an apology for his unsuccessful attempt to sell stakes in the tournament.

The warning followed a day after FIFA’s senior leadership meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where the governing body acknowledged that “mistakes were made” regarding the controversial proposal and reiterated its complete support for Infantino’s leadership.

On Thursday, UEFA issued a statement indicating that the conditions required to lift its boycott threat had not been fulfilled. The organization emphasized that FIFA had failed to offer assurances that similar proposals would not be pursued in the future, nor had it succeeded in restoring confidence in its leadership.

“The associations of UEFA explicitly outlined the conditions related to non-participation in FIFA competitions,” stated the European governing body. “These conditions have yet to be fulfilled.”

UEFA expressed a lack of confidence in Infantino’s presidency, stating that FIFA’s support for the president does not adequately address the broader governance issues highlighted by the unsuccessful World Cup commercialization plan.

The pressure on Infantino intensified, as the global players’ union FIFPRO charged him with “a profound abuse of presidential power.” The English Football Association also retracted its support for his re-election, while Amnesty International urged for governance reforms within FIFA.

FIFA expressed that its leadership anticipated the Morocco summit would aid in rebuilding confidence following the decision to withdraw the proposal to sell profits from the World Cup via a commercial subsidiary. The governing body committed to preventing the recurrence of similar mistakes.

The proposal had previously faced rejection from both Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation prior to FIFA’s official decision to abandon the plan. Despite some senior FIFA figures, such as Arsène Wenger and secretary general Mattias Grafström, distancing themselves from the proposal, Grafström later aligned with other senior officials to reaffirm support for Infantino.