UEFA, THE GOVERNING body of football in Europe, has said its previous threat to boycott all Fifa competitions stands and that it still lacks confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. 

It comes after world football’s governing body apologised for its handling of a now shelved proposal to open the World Cup to private investment, saying “mistakes were made” in the process that led to the sell-off proposal.

In a statement following an emergency meeting with Infantino in Morocco, the Fifa board also “reaffirmed their full support” for him as Fifa president. 

Uefa’s initial threat issued last Thursday that European national teams would boycott the competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, is widely credited in being pivotal in the plan being shelved.

But in a statement today, Uefa said its associations were “very clear about the conditions attached to their non-participation”. 

“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again,” the statement reads. 

These conditions have not been met.

It also said it had made it “abundantly clear” that it has lost confidence in Infantino’s presidency, adding: “That position holds.

“Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the FIFA President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing.”

Meanwhile, Sky News is reporting that the English Football Association has sent a letter withdrawing its support for Infantino’s re-election as president. 

It previously called for ”a full and robust review” of Fifa’s leadership and governance “to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long term stewardship of football at its heart.”

South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL has also expressed “its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken”.

CONMEBOL is usually seen as a strong supporter of Infantino, but its criticism echoes other confederations which said they were blindsided by the announcement of the investor plan.

The plan to sell a minority stake in a new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise, to private investors was first reported by The Times of London and the Financial Times last week. 

The scheme proposed the commercial subsidiary would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup and give one-off payments of $20 million (€17.37 million) to all 211 member associations, who each have one Fifa vote. 

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Football’s governing body later confirmed that Thrive Eternal – a company founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – had been earmarked as the leader of the investor group.

Following a furious global reaction, Infantino on Saturday shelved the scheme.

Earlier this week, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, appointed in 2019 by Infantino as Fifa’s chief of global football development, said in a statement that “the decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question”.

His remarks followed an extraordinary internal email to Fifa staff, in which secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom appeared to distance himself from Infantino on the issue.

Grafstrom described the fiasco surrounding the plan as “a sad and reproachable series of events”.

He adds: “Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go. The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue.”

With reporting from AFP 2026