UEFA Sticks To Boycott Threat, Pressure Mounts On FIFA President Gianni Infantino

Published 7 August 2026 · sports

News sports football UEFA Sticks To Boycott Threat, Pressure Mounts On FIFA President Gianni Infantino UEFA Sticks To Boycott Threat, Pressure Mounts On FIFA President

News sports football UEFA Sticks To Boycott Threat, Pressure Mounts On FIFA President Gianni Infantino UEFA Sticks To Boycott Threat, Pressure Mounts On FIFA President Gianni Infantino Published By, Last Updated: August 07, 2026, 08:32 IST Players' union FIFPRO also renewed its attack on the FIFA president, describing the proposal as "a profound abuse of presidential power". Rapid Read Gianni Infantino has received full support of senior FIFA directors. (AFP Photo) Pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino intensified on Thursday as opposition to his abandoned private investment proposal continued to grow, with UEFA maintaining its threat to boycott FIFA competitions despite the plan being scrapped. The Swiss official also faced criticism from South American football body CONMEBOL, although the Confederation of African Football (CAF) reaffirmed its support. Infantino secured the “full support" of senior FIFA directors during an emergency meeting in Morocco on Wednesday. However, UEFA responded with a strongly worded statement, making clear that its confidence in the FIFA president had not been restored. UEFA’s original boycott threat, issued last Thursday, is understood to have played a decisive role in forcing Infantino to abandon the proposed private finance deal. Pressure on the FIFA president had mounted further after the proposal was withdrawn last Saturday, with increasing calls for him to resign. Under the plan, FIFA said it could raise up to $4.2 billion by valuing a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), at $20 billion.

The proposed entity would have overseen commercial rights for competitions including the World Cup and Club World Cup. Although UEFA had demanded the proposal’s withdrawal as a condition for reconsidering its boycott, it said FIFA had failed to satisfy its wider concerns. “UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to their non participation in FIFA competitions," read its statement “First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again. These conditions have not been met." UEFA had already welcomed the withdrawal of the proposal on Saturday while sharply criticising Infantino and his “shabby, backroom, opaque deal." Its latest statement showed no softening of that stance. “UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds," it said. The fallout has also affected Infantino’s re-election campaign, with several UEFA member associations withdrawing their backing for his bid to secure a fourth and final term at the FIFA Congress in Rabat next March. Further criticism is expected on Friday when Norwegian football chief Lise Klaveness, one of Infantino’s most prominent critics, is scheduled to hold a press conference. Beyond Europe, CONMEBOL also voiced concerns despite historically being one of Infantino’s allies.