Gianni Infantino‘s standing as FIFA president has recently encountered fierce resistance from UEFA executives and European member federations, who previously weighed boycotting all FIFA competitions. Despite the broadening opposition to his leadership, UEFA are reportedly preparing to drop the boycott proposal.
In an effort to derail the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project and block the sale of tournament equity to private investors outside soccer, UEFA took a hardline stance by threatening to withhold their nations from FIFA competitions. The high-stakes maneuver proved effective in forcing Infantino to pause the plan, even as UEFA continued pushing for his resignation.
However, as reported by BBC Sport, UEFA are now set to officially stand down from their boycott threat. The shift comes after European governing officials received explicit guarantees that Infantino’s proposal to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup to private equity firms would not be revisited.
While the men’s World Cup served as the primary bargaining chip in the dispute, resolving the impasse proved urgent due to the upcoming U-20 Women’s World Cup. The FIFA tournament is scheduled to take place in Poland from September 5 through September 27, and with six European nations qualified, a ongoing boycott threatened to throw the event into complete turmoil.
As reported by Ben Jacobs, a FIFA spokesperson responded directly to UEFA backing off the boycott threat. “FIFA is pleased that all qualified teams will be participating in the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. FIFA strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances, and looks forward to welcoming all teams and players to Poland,” part of the statement read.
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UEFA will convene an executive committee meeting in Monaco on Thursday to formally ratify their stance toward FIFA. Despite backing down on tournament participation, key European delegates remain firmly opposed to supporting Infantino’s bid for re-election next March.
Another member association withdraws backing from Infantino
Although the competitive boycott has been abandoned, UEFA’s core mission to replace FIFA leadership remains active across its member federations. On Wednesday, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) formally announced it has withdrawn its support for Infantino’s presidential candidacy ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
“We will continue to work alongside UEFA and other European federations to promote a vision of football based on merit, solidarity, sustainability, and the central role of fans,” FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said in an official statement. “We align ourselves with a model of dialogue, listening, and shared responsibility that has so far allowed football to grow, innovate, and at the same time defend its founding principles.“
Italy joins a growing contingent of FIFA Member Associations that have publicly revoked their endorsements of Infantino, following the lead of the British and Irish federations, including England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, in a coordinated movement that shows no signs of slowing down.
