UEFA shares an update about their new boycott decision in a direct message to Gianni Infantino.
UEFA has strongly criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his apology regarding the controversial plans to sell shares in the World Cup.
Infantino has faced a lot of criticism recently for revealing a bold plan to allow third parties to invest in the World Cup through a new company called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). This new company, valued at about £15 billion, would have some control over FIFA’s commercial and event operations, including the World Cup.
Right after the news broke, UEFA issued a firm statement against the plan, saying all 55 of its member associations would refuse to take part in any FIFA competition if the plan went ahead. UEFA promised they wouldn’t join any FIFA events unless the proposal was dropped and guarantees were made that nothing like this would happen again.
A few days later, FIFA confirmed the FFE plans were canceled, and Infantino apologized for how the situation was handled. However, UEFA didn’t soften its stance. In response, they made it clear the boycott would continue and said they no longer support Infantino as FIFA president.
UEFA’s statement said, “Our associations were clear that the proposals to sell major competitions had to be withdrawn, and guarantees needed to be in place to protect the game. These conditions have not been met. We also want to make it clear that UEFA has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s leadership.”
If UEFA sticks to this, it could mean they won’t participate in the upcoming Women’s U20 World Cup next month, where England is set to compete. The real test will come in a few months with the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifier playoffs, involving teams like England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. The Women’s World Cup next year could be heavily affected by the boycott.
UEFA’s statement adds more pressure on Infantino, as calls grow for him to step down. He plans to run for a fourth term as FIFA president in March, but he would need 106 votes from FIFA’s 211 members, which now seems less likely. Several countries, including England, have withdrawn their support.
Infantino could also lose his position sooner if an emergency vote of no confidence is called. This requires 43 FIFA members (20%) to demand a meeting where they can push for a vote to remove him as president.