Europe’s soccer body said Gianni Infantino has not met conditions to restore trust, even after FIFA abandoned the proposal and apologized for mistakes.
UEFA maintained its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, saying FIFA President Gianni Infantino had failed to meet the conditions Europe’s governing body set after FIFA’s abandoned plan to sell profits from the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary. UEFA said the proposal to sell off major competitions had to be withdrawn and assurances given that similar attempts would never happen again, adding that it had also lost confidence in Infantino’s presidency and that position remained unchanged. The dispute deepened pressure on Infantino after FIFPRO (global soccer players union) accused him of "a profound abuse of presidential power," the English Football Association withdrew support for his re-election, and Amnesty International called the episode evidence of a need for governance reforms. FIFA had tried to steady the situation after a summit in Morocco, saying Infantino had the backing of top staff and apologizing for errors tied to the controversial project while pledging to "ensure they do not happen again." UEFA said that response did not alter its stance, leaving open the prospect of a challenge to Infantino’s leadership.