UEFA maintains World Cup boycott threat despite apology

A European threat to boycott the World Cup remains in place despite FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino apologising over the handling of a private investor plan.

Mr Infantino has been under pressure for over a week after a controversial plan to sell stakes in a company to run the World Cup to private investors first emerged on 28 July.

The plan was rejected by UEFA and two other continental confederations, with the association also stating its 55 member countries would boycott FIFA competitions until the plan was scrapped.

FIFA's management board gave Mr Infantino its backing at a meeting in Morocco yesterday and issued an apology over the process followed in developing it, but the European confederation said that "changes nothing".

"UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions," a UEFA statement read.

"First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.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. In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. 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."

UEFA objected to the process Mr Infantino had followed but most of all to the prospect of private investors having an influence over a sporting competition, amid fears they could push for ever bigger, ever more frequent events.

Mr Infantino intended to create a company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) which would manage commercial and operational aspects of its competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups.

The most controversial detail was the intention to sell a 20 per cent stake of the company to private investors.

FIFA confirmed last week that Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been earmarked to lead the investor group.

As first reported by The Guardian, UEFA is also understood to be considering the commission of a study to assess whether FIFA’s proposed 20 billion US dollar valuation of FFE was under market rate.

Even after Mr Infantino confirmed last Saturday that the FFE plan had been withdrawn, UEFA issued a fresh statement saying it had "lost confidence" in him.

Even before the statement, FIFA Council members were understood to be working to secure the 19-strong majority needed to request Mr Infantino to call a meeting, where they could hold him to account over the private investor plan and the Folarin Balogun case.

Council members are understood to remain prepared to carry out a 'governance boycott’ of council meetings - which would effectively incapacitate FIFA - if they are unable to reach a majority, or if Mr Infantino refuses the request for a meeting despite gaining the requisite majority.

FIFA’s statement said Mr Infantino had the "full support" of the members of its management board present at a meeting yesterday in Rabat, Morocco, with the Swiss man clearly intent on remaining in charge despite opposition building towards his presidency.

A review into the handling of the FFE proposal was promised, though the statement insisted "everything that was done was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework".

The statement also said FIFA "will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation".

Meanwhile, CONMEBOL, the federation representing South American nations, said it would not be supporting moves to oust Mr Infantino on an accelerated timetable.

A conciliatory statement argued in favour of the existing timetable relating to the FIFA presidency, which allows for prospective candidates to come forward by 18 November.

World players’ union FIFPRO issued a strong statement describing the FFE fiasco as "a profound abuse of presidential power".

It called for immediate governance reforms and demanded players be "part of" the review promised by FIFA.