The English Football Association has withdrawn its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino over the controversial proposal to sell stakes in World Cup-related commercial rights to private investors, as UEFA warned that a boycott of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, remains a possibility.
BBC reported that despite FIFA’s decision to abandon the plan, European football’s governing body said its concerns had not been addressed.
“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly,” Uefa’s statement said.
“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.”
UEFA had already declared that it had lost confidence in Infantino, describing the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) arrangement as a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”
The dispute centres on FIFA’s proposal to attract private investment through its FFE subsidiary, with member associations reportedly set to receive up to $40 million if they backed the initiative covering major competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
During a FIFA executive meeting in Rabat, Morocco, the world governing body admitted errors in the handling of the proposal.
FIFA said “mistakes” regarding FFE were “acknowledged”, saying it was “not the intention” for the Fifa Council and members association to “feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently”.
UEFA, however, rejected the explanation and maintained its opposition to Infantino’s leadership.
“Uefa made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds.
“Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the Fifa president (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing.”
While UEFA remains critical, Infantino has continued to receive backing from other football bodies. The Confederation of African Football, South American governing body CONMEBOL, and the football associations of Mexico and Argentina have all publicly reaffirmed their support for the FIFA president.
According to reports, the FIFA meeting included secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, finance chief Thomas Peyer, legal chief Emilio Garcia Silvero, chief of staff Daniel O’Toole, head of member associations Elkhan Mammadov and media relations director Bryan Swanson.
FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who had publicly criticised the investment proposal, did not attend the meeting
Lamour had described the initiative as “the project of one person” and added: “I lose my job, then so be it. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”
UEFA is said to believe the meeting failed to provide genuine accountability because it involved FIFA employees rather than independent officials. It continues to seek answers on how the proposal was developed, whether a competitive process was followed and whether any personal interests were involved.
The European governing body is now considering its next move, including pursuing an extraordinary FIFA Council meeting, seeking a vote of no confidence or supporting a rival candidate against Infantino in next year’s FIFA presidential election.
Should those options fail, UEFA has indicated that a boycott of FIFA competitions remains on the table, with the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland next month potentially becoming the first major test of its position.
