UEFA maintains its FIFA boycott, says demands still unmet

UEFA announced on Thursday evening that it does not consider its demands to have been met, meaning its earlier declared boycott of FIFA competitions remains in force. The statement came in response to a Wednesday message from FIFA's management expressing support for president Gianni Infantino's leadership.

UEFA had been the confederation reacting most strongly against Infantino's plan, put forward largely unilaterally, to sell part of the World Cup hosting and commercial rights to private investors. In response, UEFA announced a boycott of FIFA competitions, a decision joined by the Latvian Football Federation.

Conditions still not met

Sharp pushback across the football world forced Infantino to withdraw his proposal, though he has no intention of stepping down as FIFA president himself. UEFA stated that its member associations had been very clear about the conditions for withdrawing from FIFA competitions: first, the proposals to sell off competition rights had to be withdrawn; second, guarantees had to be given that such attempts to distort the game would never be made again. According to UEFA, neither condition has been fulfilled.

The confederation also reiterated its Saturday statement that it had lost confidence in Infantino's presidency, stressing that this position remains unchanged. UEFA dismissed Wednesday's statement, in which FIFA-employed staff expressed support for the president, as changing nothing.

What comes next

A boycott by European national teams of the World Cup would be a major blow to the tournament's organizers, but the next World Cup is still four years away, leaving plenty of time for developments. The boycott's strength could be tested sooner, however — a women's U20 World Cup is scheduled for September, while October brings World Cup play-offs for senior women's national teams.