UEFA has maintained pressure on FIFA, warning that its member associations could still withdraw from FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, despite an apology from FIFA president Gianni Infantino over a controversial tournament investment proposal.
The warning came shortly after a FIFA leadership meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where the football governing body acknowledged that “mistakes were made” regarding the abandoned plan to sell stakes linked to World Cup revenues.
Although FIFA leadership expressed support for Infantino and pledged to avoid similar situations in the future, UEFA said the assurances did not address its concerns.
In a statement, UEFA said the conditions it set before considering an end to its boycott threat had not been fulfilled.
“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions. These conditions have not been met,” the European body stated.
UEFA also said it remained unconvinced by FIFA’s backing of Infantino, insisting that broader concerns over leadership and governance needed to be resolved.
The controversy centres on FIFA’s earlier proposal to commercialise future World Cup earnings through a separate business structure, a move that triggered opposition from several football stakeholders before the plan was eventually dropped.
Pressure on Infantino has continued to grow, with global players’ union FIFPRO accusing him of “a profound abuse of presidential power.”
The English Football Association has also withdrawn its support for his re-election bid, while Amnesty International has called for reforms to FIFA’s governance system.
FIFA said the Rabat meeting was aimed at rebuilding confidence and reaffirmed that the organisation would strengthen its processes to prevent similar controversies in the future.
The abandoned proposal had already faced resistance from football confederations, including Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, before FIFA formally ended the initiative.
Despite the controversy, senior FIFA officials, including Secretary General Mattias Grafström and football development chief Arsène Wenger, have continued to support Infantino’s leadership, adding another layer to the ongoing debate over the future direction of world football governance.
