European football governing body UEFA is reportedly set to cancel plans to boycott FIFA tournaments after having received assurances that President Gianni Infantino’s controversial private investment plan would not be revived.
The move is expected to be discussed at a meeting of UEFA members on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Euronews has reached out to UEFA for comment.
In late July, UEFA announced its 55 member associations would take no part in FIFA competitions as long as the world governing body’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal remained alive.
The now-scrapped plan would have seen third-party investors invited to take stakes in the FFE, a new subsidiary running FIFA’s commercial and event operations, including the World Cup.
Earlier this month, UEFA welcomed FIFA’s decision to bin the highly criticised proposal but said it had not met the necessary conditions for the withdrawal of the boycott.
“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions,” the European body said in a statement in early August.
“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again. These conditions have not been met,” it added.
Should UEFA now end its boycott threat, it would clear six European teams to take part in next month’s under-20s Women’s World Cup, which is set to be held in Poland.
Poland, England, France, Portugal, Spain, and Italy are all slated to play in the tournament.
Football’s deepening split
UEFA’s decision comes as Italy and Romania became the latest nations to announce they were withdrawing their support for Infantino’s reelection at FIFA’s 2027 presidential elections.
In a statement on Wednesday, Giovanni Malagò, the president of the Italian Football Federation, said: “We will continue to work alongside UEFA and the other European federations to promote a vision of football based on merit, solidarity, sustainability and the central role of the fans.”
“We identify with a model of dialogue, listening and shared responsibility which has, to date, enabled football to grow, innovate and, at the same time, defend its founding principles,” he continued.
Răzvan Burleanu, the head of the Romanian Football Federation, added: “FIFA needs a new leader today who can foster consensus and unity, inspire confidence, and has the ability to bring us all together, rather than driving a wedge between us and others.”
Infantino maintains a number of key supporters, however, including Argentina, Mexico and six Arab football associations.
US President Donald Trump also gave his backing to the beleaguered FIFA chief in August.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the world governing body “would be making a terrible mistake” if it decided to part ways with Infantino.
“He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented,” Trump wrote, adding: “If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again.”
Additional sources • AP