Uefa maintains World Cup boycott threat despite Fifa’s backing for Infantino
Uefa has reiterated its stance that a boycott of Fifa-run competitions remains a possibility, despite Fifa’s public support for its president, Gianni Infantino. The European football governing body stated that Fifa’s backing of Infantino “changes nothing” regarding its position.
The latest intervention from Uefa comes amidst ongoing criticism of Infantino. The global players’ union, Fifpro, has condemned what it described as “a profound abuse of presidential power,” while the South American confederation, Conmebol, expressed concern over “repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue.”
Uefa’s Conditions for Averting Boycott
Uefa’s member associations had previously agreed to boycott Fifa tournaments if Infantino did not withdraw his privately funded Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme. Although the FFE plan was scrapped, Uefa maintains that the necessary conditions to avert a boycott have not been met.
According to Uefa, two primary conditions were established: first, the proposals to sell off major competitions had to be withdrawn, and second, assurances needed to be made that such attempts to “disfigure the game” would not be made again. Uefa’s statement indicates that these conditions have not been fulfilled.
The organisation also reaffirmed its loss of confidence in Infantino’s presidency, a position it had made clear in a previous statement. Uefa views the recent announcement of support for Infantino from some Fifa employees as inconsequential.
The potential for a boycott could impact upcoming tournaments, with the Fifa Women’s U20s World Cup, scheduled to begin on 5 September in Poland, being the first competition that could be affected. Six European countries, including England, are expected to participate.
Internal Divisions and External Support
Despite a recent meeting of some Fifa management board members in Rabat, which aimed to show unity, Uefa remains hopeful of exploiting divisions within Fifa’s leadership. Notably, Arsène Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global development, reportedly declined an invitation to attend the meeting in Morocco, seeking to distance himself from Infantino. Wenger had previously criticised the World Cup sell-off plans, stating their scrapping was “absolutely necessary and beyond question.”
Kevin Lamour, Fifa’s chief operating officer, who had described the FFE proposals as “the project of one person,” was not invited to the Rabat summit. Other absentees included Jill Ellis, chief football officer, and Sarai Bareman, chief women’s football officer.
While Fifa has issued apologies to the Fifa Council and member associations for their exclusion from the FFE process, these sentiments are believed to have had limited impact on a significant number of council members. The English FA has formally retracted its letter of support for Infantino’s re-election.
In contrast, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has unanimously reconfirmed its support for Infantino, expressing gratitude for his contributions to African football. Lamin Kaba Bajo, president of the Gambia Football Federation, also praised Infantino’s “courage” and offered continued support.
Conmebol, while expressing disapproval of unilateral actions, indicated it would not support any actions that disregard Fifa’s established institutional mechanisms before the presidential election. The Jordan Football Association president, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, confirmed he would oppose Infantino’s re-election, despite Fifa having paid bonuses owed from the Arab Cup.
Uefa’s position is that Fifa’s statement did not address its concerns regarding accountability for the FFE controversy. The European confederation believes there was a lack of consultation with the council or membership and that Infantino is attempting to deflect personal responsibility.
The option of a vote of no confidence remains available to Uefa, which could be triggered via an extraordinary congress. However, this would require a majority of Fifa’s 211 member associations, specifically 106 votes, to pass the motion. Another potential option for Uefa is to find a unity candidate to challenge Infantino in the election scheduled for March.
The Fifa Women’s U20s World Cup is set to kick off in Poland on 5 September.
Source: bbc.com
