UEFA Backs Away from FIFA Boycott

“Likely” UEFA to back down from threat to boycott FIFA competitions after two conditions met, source says

UEFA is likely to retract its threat to boycott competitions organized by its international counterpart, FIFA, after the two conditions it had demanded from the global football governing body were met following the failed attempt by its president, Gianni Infantino, to sell stakes in the World Cup, a source told AFP yesterday.

Infantino, 56, is facing mounting pressure to step down due to his plan, later abandoned, to secure private-sector investments in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. UEFA, under the leadership of Slovene Aleksander Ceferin, had sharply criticized the proposal, describing it as a “suspicious and opaque deal struck behind closed doors.”

Although Infantino withdrew the plan just days after its launch, UEFA insisted it remained dissatisfied and that its threat to boycott FIFA competitions still stood. It stated that while its demand for the plan’s cancellation had been met, it had not yet received assurances “that such attempts to undermine the game in this manner will never recur.”

However, with UEFA member associations meeting in Monaco ahead of the draw for the UEFA Champions League and other club competitions, it appears the European body has become convinced that the second condition has been satisfactorily met.

“Yes, this is likely,” the source told AFP regarding the possibility of dropping the boycott threat. “I believe the assurances we sought have been received, and thus the second of our two criteria has been fulfilled.”

A second source added that the boycott threat, which was seen as a decisive factor in forcing Infantino’s embarrassing retreat, should be addressed promptly, given that the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be held in Poland from September 5 to 27.

This development carries particular significance, as it could undermine the unified UEFA front calling for Infantino’s departure.