UEFA has told FIFA that Gianni Infantino's public show of support "changes nothing" — and its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, remains firmly in place.

The stand-off centres on a scheme called Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), a privately funded plan to sell off stakes in FIFA's major competitions, including the World Cup. The scheme was scrapped. But UEFA says that is not enough. Its conditions to call off the boycott were that the sell-off proposals be withdrawn entirely and that FIFA give assurances no such attempt would ever be made again. Neither condition, UEFA says, has been met.

All 55 of UEFA's member associations voted unanimously — 55-0 — to boycott FIFA tournaments at an emergency meeting on 30 July, in protest at the sell-off plan (Reuters). UEFA reiterated on 6 August that it has lost confidence in Infantino's presidency, according to The Guardian.

The first tournament in the firing line is the Under-20 Women's World Cup, which begins in Poland on 5 September. If no agreement is reached before then, it would be the first competition subjected to a UEFA-led boycott.

For fans, that could mean European teams — the players and nations they follow through club seasons and summer tournaments — simply not showing up. The ripple effects are enormous. A World Cup without European nations is not really a World Cup.

Inside FIFA, the mood is no calmer. Infantino apologised for "mistakes" in his handling of the World Cup sell-off plan (Sky News). A FIFA statement said separate apologies had been made to the FIFA council and member associations for being shut out of the FFE process, and that FIFA was committed to a review. But according to The Guardian, those apologies have cut no ice with a large percentage of FIFA council members, and the mood remains unhappy.

The fissures run deep. Arsène Wenger, FIFA's chief of global development and one of the most recognisable figures in football administration, declined an invitation to travel to a summit in Rabat, Morocco — reportedly because he wanted to distance himself from Infantino. Wenger had launched a scathing attack on the sell-off plans the previous day, calling for greater "transparency and integrity" from his own employers.

FIFA's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who described the World Cup sell-off proposals as "the project of one person," was not invited to the Rabat summit. Nor were Jill Ellis, FIFA's chief football officer, or Sarai Bareman, chief women's football officer. The absences speak louder than any press release.

What makes this stand out is how few people are left defending the plan — and how many who once worked alongside Infantino are now keeping their distance. The scheme is dead, but the trust is gone with it.

UEFA's position is plain. Scrap the proposals for good. Promise they will never return. Until then, every FIFA tournament is under threat, and the first deadline is less than a month away.