UEFA drops boycott threat but keeps Infantino in its sights
European football's governing body has withdrawn its threat to boycott FIFA competitions — but the fight to remove Gianni Infantino as FIFA president is far from over.
UEFA will officially confirm the end of the boycott at its executive committee meeting in Monaco, clearing the path for six European teams to compete at the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland next week. England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland are all set to take part. FIFA said it was "pleased that all qualified teams will be participating" in the tournament BBC Sport.
The boycott was voted through last month by all 55 of Europe's member associations. Their demand was that FIFA drop, in full, a proposal called the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan — a scheme that would have opened the door to private ownership stakes in FIFA's competitions. UEFA wanted binding guarantees that such a plan would never be revived UEFA.
That assurance will now come in the form of a letter presented to UEFA's 55 associations and Europe's members on the FIFA Council, guaranteeing the FFE plan will not be brought back.
But dropping the boycott is not the same as making peace. UEFA still wants Infantino gone.
The European Leagues chief, Claus Schäfer, was blunt about it: Infantino "must go" RTÉ Sport. UEFA is confident it can find a unity candidate to stand against Infantino when he faces re-election in March. No one has been named yet, though Concacaf president Victor Montagliani — who runs the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football — is regarded as a serious option.
The path to unseating a FIFA president is narrow. A candidate needs the backing of 106 of FIFA's 211 member associations to win, and the vote is expected to be close. UEFA also abandoned the idea of forcing a vote of no confidence, which would have required three-quarters of member associations — 159 votes — and was considered unrealistic BBC Sport.
Nominations for the FIFA presidency must be submitted by 18 November, giving UEFA roughly three months to find and back a challenger.
For fans, the immediate good news is straightforward: the young women heading to Poland next week get to play. Whatever unfolds in the corridors of football politics between now and March, the Under-20 Women's World Cup — a tournament that showcases the next generation of talent — goes ahead as planned, with Europe's best represented on the pitch.
