Uefa says a possible boycott of competitions including the World Cup still remains on the table after Fifa defended Gianni Infantino, and the English FA withdrew its support for the president over a plan to bring private investment into major tournaments. The European governing body said the latest move from world football’s leadership changes nothing and that its concerns have not been answered.
The dispute centres on Fifa’s Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, which would have opened the door to private investors taking stakes in competitions including the men’s and women’s World Cups. Infantino had offered all associations $40m if they backed the idea. Fifa later said “mistakes” had been acknowledged and that it was not intended for the council and member associations to feel excluded from the process.
Uefa, however, says the issue runs deeper than the abandoned plan. It says confidence in Infantino is gone and that the proposals to sell off major competitions should never have been advanced in the first place. The English FA’s decision to withdraw support added pressure on the Fifa president, but Uefa made clear that one national association’s change of heart was not enough to ease the standoff.
At the centre of the anger is the question of accountability. Uefa wants answers about who was involved in the plan, whether there was a proper tender process and whether Infantino could have benefited personally. Fifa said an apology was made, but Uefa argues that no one has truly been held responsible for the controversy. The European body says it will not be satisfied until it gets full answers or Infantino leaves office.
