UEFA to drop FIFA boycott threat over World Cup stake plan

UEFA is set to drop its threat to boycott FIFA competitions after receiving assurances that Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other major tournaments will not be revived.

The decision is expected to be confirmed at a UEFA executive committee meeting in Monaco, with European football’s governing body satisfied that its key conditions for ending the boycott threat have been met.

UEFA’s 55 member associations had unanimously backed a boycott after details emerged of FIFA Forward Enterprises, a proposal that would have opened stakes in major FIFA competitions to private investors.

According to BBC Sport, on Wednesday, UEFA demanded that the plan be withdrawn and that FIFA provide guarantees that similar proposals would never be pursued again.

FIFA subsequently abandoned the proposal following widespread opposition, and UEFA has now received assurances that there will be no repeat.

The decision means European teams are expected to take part in next month’s FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, which begins on 5 September. England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland are among the European nations scheduled to compete.

However, UEFA’s decision to lift the boycott threat does not signal an end to its opposition to Infantino’s leadership.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has continued to criticise the FIFA president, while European football officials remain committed to pushing for wider governance reforms within world football.

UEFA is therefore expected to allow its teams to compete while continuing its campaign for change at FIFA.

The development brings the immediate threat of a major confrontation between UEFA and FIFA to an end, but tensions over Infantino’s leadership and the future governance of world football remain unresolved.