UEFA keeps boycott threat as FA withdraws support for Infantino

UEFA has reiterated that a boycott of competitions including the World Cup remains possible, saying FIFA’s defence of its president Gianni Infantino “changes nothing”. The warning came after the English Football Association sent a letter withdrawing its support for Infantino in reaction to the aborted scheme to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

In a statement, UEFA said its conditions had not been met, even though Infantino’s plan was dropped. The conditions were that the proposals to sell off major competitions had to be withdrawn and that guarantees had to be given that such attempts to disfigure the game would never be made again. UEFA had already said it had lost confidence in Infantino and described the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal as a “shabby, back room, opaque deal”.

Infantino arrived at FIFA’s offices in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday in a motorcade, sitting in the back of a Mercedes with blacked-out windows. Rather than being ordered to a hearing, he summoned FIFA management board members to discuss the events. Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom had earlier criticised the plan in an internal memo as “a sad and reproachable series of events”. After the meeting, Infantino and Grafstrom were seen smiling together at a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia. FIFA said mistakes had been acknowledged and an apology made, but UEFA questioned whether Infantino had faced difficult questions about who was involved, whether there was a competitive tender and whether he stood to benefit personally.

UEFA’s efforts to remove Infantino have made limited progress. The Gambia Football Federation president praised Infantino’s “courage” and the U-turn, offering more support than ever. Only Jordan has publicly said it will not vote for his re-election in March. Concacaf issued a statement but did not say it had lost confidence, while Conmebol said it would not support actions disregarding FIFA’s mechanisms before the election.

UEFA has considered forcing an emergency FIFA Council meeting, a vote of no confidence or finding a unity candidate, with Concacaf president Victor Montagliani seen as favourite. A no-confidence vote would need 106 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, which looks difficult. The threat of a boycott remains, but it is seen as a lever that cannot be used often. UEFA’s stance will be tested when the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup starts in Poland on 5 September, with six European countries including England taking part.

Within FIFA, one loyalist described the outcry, especially in Europe, as bordering on “hysteria”, saying it failed to acknowledge Infantino’s global legitimacy. Infantino appears to be mounting a fightback, but his opponents may now have to identify a challenger for next year’s presidential election.