Uefa is set to call off its boycott of the World Cup and Fifa tournaments after Gianni Infantino’s doomed sell-off plan failed to materialise.
Last month, European football’s governing body and all 55 members announced plans to boycott all Fifa-sanctioned tournaments until Infantino dropped his proposal to sell off stakes in Fifa tournaments – and when “assurances have been made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.”
Now, The Guardian reports that Uefa bosses will tell its executive committee and presidents of numerous of the 55 member associations at a meeting in Monaco on Thursday that those two conditions have been met.
Time is of the essence, too, with six European teams (including England) set to fly to Poland on Monday for the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which starts on Saturday 5 September.
It also removes any uncertainty surrounding the senior England women’s football team, as they look to navigate play-offs later this year to qualify for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Independent has approached Uefa for comment.
However, Uefa’s position on Infantino’s position as Fifa president has not changed – with numerous associations withdrawing their support for him ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Infantino’s position and Uefa’s next steps will be discussed at said meeting on Thursday, which takes place before the Champions League league-stage draw at 5pm (BST) in Monte-Carlo.
Infantino is facing demands to step down from three major confederations, with Asia’s AFC, and Concacaf, which governs football across North and Central America and the Caribbean, joining Uefa in opposition. The sport’s regional ruling bodies have also held discussions regarding a potential vote of no confidence against the Fifa chief.
Serious concerns have also been raised over the inaugural Fifa peace prize awarded to US president Donald Trump in December, as well as the overturning of a ban for American forward Folarin Balogun during this year’s World Cup after a call from Trump.
Meanwhile, European Leagues President Claudius Schaefer, who has called for fundamental structural reform within Fifa, insists Infantino has no future at the top of world football’s governing body.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic published on Wednesday, Schaefer expressed grave concerns regarding Infantino’s leadership on behalf of European Leagues, an organisation representing 53 professional men’s and women’s football competitions.
“We question his suitability to continue as president. Here in Switzerland, we’ve had a close view of Fifa and it seems that the influence of the president has grown from year to year,” he added.
“Major decisions are taken without meaningful consultation with stakeholders who will be affected.”
