The European soccer governing body has not backed down from its threat to withdraw from FIFA tournaments, even after the world federation issued an apology for a disputed plan to sell stakes of the World Cup for profit. The dispute centres on whether FIFA will fully abandon the scheme and guarantee that similar initiatives will not resurface.
The sticking point
UEFA’s executive committee said it lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino because the conditions required to lift the boycott remain unmet. The key demands include the outright withdrawal of the profit‑selling proposal and firm assurances that the game will not be further exploited for commercial gain.
A recent summit in Morocco brought together top FIFA officials who publicly rallied behind Infantino, presenting a united front. During the meeting FIFA also issued an apology for the missteps in the profit‑selling subsidiary and pledged to prevent any recurrence of such errors.
Despite the conciliatory tone, UEFA’s position has remained unchanged. The organization voted to abandon any participation in FIFA competitions should the profit‑selling plan proceed, and it continues to withhold support for Infantino’s leadership until the outstanding issues are resolved.
The statement released after the summit underscored that while FIFA’s staff enjoyed backing, this did not alter UEFA’s stance on the presidency. The European body insists that any future collaboration hinges on concrete actions that address its concerns about governance and commercial integrity.