FIFA row: UEFA prepares to stand down as Infantino’s support weakens

UEFA is preparing to withdraw its unprecedented threat to boycott FIFA competitions after receiving guarantees that controversial plans to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup and other major tournaments will not be revived.

The decision comes alongside a fresh setback for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) withdrawing its support for his bid to secure a fourth term in next March’s election.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters on Wednesday that UEFA is expected to formally abandon the boycott after FIFA provided firm assurances over the commercial proposals. The plans, which triggered the dispute last month, led all 55 UEFA member associations to agree to a collective boycott.

UEFA officials are due to tell the organisation’s executive committee and federation presidents at a crucial meeting in Monaco on Thursday that the conditions for ending the boycott have been met.

The move follows FIFA’s withdrawal of the disputed proposal, which was introduced in July and had threatened to deepen the divisions between the world governing body and UEFA.

The boycott was expected to create a major sporting crisis because the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland is scheduled to begin on 5 September. If UEFA associations had followed through with their threat, a generation of young players could have been denied what was described as the “opportunity of a lifetime”.

A senior source involved in the discussions told Reuters: “This is not a defeat for UEFA, but a reality that consists of avoiding harming the opportunity of a lifetime for young players. Efforts and determination for change will continue.”

Italy ends support for Infantino

The UEFA climbdown was accompanied by a more damaging development for Infantino, as FIGC announced that it would no longer support the incumbent president’s attempt to win a fourth term.

In a strongly worded statement, the Italian federation said: “This decision aims to clearly and transparently express our position – in full agreement with UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin – regarding the recent initiatives put forward by the FIFA president concerning the management and development of international competitions.”

Italy’s decision places it among a growing number of football associations distancing themselves from Infantino.

Claudio Schafer, president of European Leagues, told The Athletic that Infantino had no future and said FIFA required fundamental reform.

Pressure on the FIFA president is increasing at an unprecedented rate, with calls for him to resign coming from three continents. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf are all involved, while discussions are under way about withdrawing confidence in his leadership.

Infantino continues to have the backing of the Confederation of African Football and the South American Football Confederation. However, his attempts to bypass the continental bodies and appeal directly to their member associations are increasingly being viewed as a last effort to preserve his position ahead of the March election.

That contest is expected to produce the strongest opposition of Infantino’s career. The dispute over the proposed commercial stakes in FIFA’s flagship competitions has sharpened concerns about how international tournaments are governed and developed, while UEFA’s threatened boycott demonstrated the scale of the disagreement between Europe’s governing body and FIFA.