UEFA expected to backtrack on FIFA tournaments boycott threat

UEFA is expected to backtrack on its threat of boycotting future FIFA tournaments by allowing member associations to compete in the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in September.

The decision is set to be ratified at a meeting in Monaco on Thursday afternoon after European football’s governing body received assurances from FIFA that the scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan will not be reprised, sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity so they could do so candidly, have told The Athletic.

UEFA’s 55 member associations, as well as the European members of the FIFA Council, are gathering ahead of the Champions League draw and will also discuss the next steps regarding Gianni Infantino, the embattled FIFA president.

After the FFE plan emerged in July, which would have seen world soccer’s governing body make stakes in the World Cup available for private investment, UEFA’s member associations unanimously voted to boycott all FIFA competitions until the proposal was dropped.

However, that threat is now off the table, with the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which is being hosted by Poland, due to get underway as planned on September 5.

“FIFA is pleased that all qualified teams will be participating in the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup,” a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic.

“FIFA strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances, and looks forward to welcoming all teams and players to Poland.”

Although UEFA is due to drop its boycott threat, they remain steadfast in wanting Infantino to stand down from his role as FIFA president.

The expectation inside UEFA is that a unity candidate will be found to run against the 56-year-old ahead of the presidential election in March, with nominations to stand needing to be submitted by November 18.

Infantino has already announced his intention to stand for what would be his third and final term in the role, albeit before the FFE fallout, and previously claimed to have received more than 200 letters of support from member associations.

However, that number has now significantly dwindled, with UEFA, Concacaf, the confederation for North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) all calling for Infantino to stand down.

CONMEBOL, the confederation for South America, and CAF, the confederation for Africa, have not expressed a desire for Infantino to resign, instead saying they want a democratic election to take place.

There is a confidence within UEFA that should a unity candidate to run against Infantino be found, then they would likely beat him in the election.

Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of Concacaf, is widely viewed as someone who could put his name forward as a candidate.

Anyone seeking to beat Infantino in the election would need 106 of the 211 member associations to vote for them at March’s FIFA Congress in Morocco.