UEFA maintains its boycott of the World Cups and refuses to give in to Gianni Infantino

UEFA confirmed on Thursday that its boycott of FIFA-organized competitions remains in effect. The withdrawal of the project aimed at opening the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors has not been enough to quell the anger of European football. UEFA's 55 member associations voted unanimously in favor of not participating in FIFA competitions. They demanded the complete abandonment of the project, as well as binding guarantees preventing any similar attempts in the future. According to the European governing body, this second demand has still not been met.

UEFA is not satisfied with the withdrawal of the project.

The FIFA Forward Enterprise project envisioned the creation of a commercial entity to manage the world's major competitions. This company, valued at approximately $20 billion, could have welcomed minority private investors. FIFA also planned to offer a total of $10 billion to its 211 member associations, with payments of up to $40 million per association if the project were approved. UEFA immediately denounced this as a partial privatization of the World Cups and refused to allow international competitions to become financial products.

Faced with the protest, FIFA has finally withdrawn its proposal. This decision, however, does not end the standoff. UEFA believes that simply abandoning the project does not guarantee that the same type of proposal will not be presented again in another form. "These conditions have not been met."The European body has ruled, demanding a firm commitment that definitively excludes any private participation in FIFA's governance or competitions.

UEFA withdraws its confidence in Gianni Infantino

The conflict now extends beyond the financial project alone. UEFA has reaffirmed its loss of confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. The Swiss leader remains accused of having prepared his plan without sufficient consultation with the FIFA Council, the confederations, and several officials within his own administration. FIFA has acknowledged errors in the preparation and communication of the plan. Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström have apologized to the 211 member federations. An internal review process must also be conducted before a report is submitted to the FIFA Council. For UEFA, these apologies do not resolve the governance issue. The European organization maintains its distrust of Gianni Infantino and believes that the support shown by some members of FIFA's leadership does not change the situation.

FIFA displays its unity after a crisis meeting in Morocco

Gianni Infantino convened several FIFA officials in Rabat on Wednesday. Following the meeting, the members of the executive committee present reiterated their support for the president. FIFA maintains that it wants to improve its procedures, internal communications, and the relationship between its presidency, secretary general, and administration. It also asserts that the project was prepared in accordance with its regulatory framework, despite the now-acknowledged errors. This show of unity failed to convince UEFA. Several key FIFA officials were not present in Rabat, including Arsène Wenger, head of global football development; Jill Ellis, director of football; Sarai Bareman, director of women's football; and Kevin Lamour, director of operations.

The U20 Women's World Cup is directly threatened

The first competition affected could be the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, scheduled to begin in Poland on September 5. If no agreement is reached by then, the qualified European teams could implement the boycott decision adopted by UEFA's 55 member associations. Such a decision would trigger an unprecedented crisis between the two main governing bodies of international football. It could then threaten future FIFA Women's and Men's World Cups, as well as all youth competitions organized by FIFA.

A power struggle that threatens the unity of world football

UEFA is no longer simply demanding the withdrawal of a commercial project. It is now calling for lasting guarantees regarding the ownership of competitions, a reform of governance methods, and the restoration of a relationship of trust with FIFA's leadership. Gianni Infantino remains in his post and shows no intention of resigning. However, the continued European boycott puts his presidency under direct pressure, just months before the next FIFA presidential election in 2027. Until sufficient guarantees are provided, European teams will officially remain prepared to withdraw from FIFA competitions, including the World Cups.