Uefa has doubled down on its threat to boycott Fifa-run competitions, reaffirming its loss of confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. European football's governing body stated that Fifa's public backing of Infantino on Wednesday night "changes nothing" regarding their position.
Last week, Uefa's 55 member associations agreed to boycott Fifa tournaments if Infantino did not withdraw his privately-funded Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). While the FFE scheme was scrapped last Friday, Uefa asserts that the necessary terms to avert the boycott have not been met.
A Uefa statement clarified that conditions for non-participation included the withdrawal of proposals to sell off major competitions and assurances that such attempts would not be made again. Uefa also made it clear that its loss of confidence in Infantino's presidency, expressed in a statement on Saturday, still stands.
This ongoing dispute leaves the turmoil in football's governance unresolved. If no agreement is reached, the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to begin in Poland on 5 September, could be the first tournament to face a Uefa-led boycott.
Divisions within Fifa's leadership may be a factor, despite a show of unity following a meeting in Rabat. Arsène Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global development, reportedly declined an invitation to the Morocco meeting, seeking to distance himself from Infantino. Wenger had previously criticised the World Cup sell-off plans, calling for their withdrawal and greater "transparency and integrity" from Fifa.