August 7, 2026 | 08:00 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – European football’s governing body UEFA has doubled down on its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, saying the global football body has failed to meet the conditions required to restore cooperation after a controversial plan to sell minority stakes in major tournaments.
In a statement cited by Al Jazeera, UEFA said its 55 member associations remain committed to withdrawing from FIFA events unless its demands are addressed. The body said FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s decision to abandon the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme was not enough to resolve the dispute.
"UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to their non-participation in FIFA competitions," UEFA said.
"First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn, and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again."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," the statement added.
The dispute began after Infantino announced plans for FIFA to seek private investment through minority stakes in the World Cup and other major events. UEFA member associations voted unanimously last week to boycott FIFA competitions unless the proposal was withdrawn.
Infantino later scrapped the plan following widespread criticism, and FIFA’s leadership expressed support for him during a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.
However, UEFA said the public show of unity within FIFA did not change its position.
"UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds," UEFA said.
"Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the FIFA President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing."
FIFA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Al Jazeera.
Growing Pressure on Infantino’s Leadership
The UEFA dispute has intensified criticism of Infantino’s leadership from other football stakeholders.
According to The Guardian, global players’ union FIFPRO accused FIFA of a "profound abuse of presidential power" over the FFE proposal, arguing that the plan was developed without sufficient consultation with players, member associations, or other football stakeholders.
"FIFA Forward Enterprise is gone, but the abuse of power that produced it is not," FIFPRO said.
The union called for governance reforms, including greater player representation in FIFA decision-making bodies.
South American football confederation CONMEBOL, typically viewed as an Infantino ally, also criticized what it described as repeated unilateral decisions made without proper dialogue.
In a statement, CONMEBOL said its council was concerned about "repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature."
However, the organization stopped short of supporting immediate leadership changes, saying it would follow FIFA’s established electoral process.
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