Uefa Set to Withdraw Fifa Tournament Boycott Threat Following Controversial Proposal Scrap

Uefa appears ready to drop its threat of boycotting Fifa tournaments after receiving assurances that controversial plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup will not be repeated.

The football world was thrown into turmoil on July 28 when Fifa president Gianni Infantino suddenly announced proposals to seek private investment in the World Cup and its other tournaments. The scheme provoked a furious reaction globally, with Uefa leading the backlash as all 55 of its members voted to boycott all Fifa tournaments “for so long as these proposals remain alive”.

The Asian Football Association (AFC) and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) also criticized the plans, while officials from inside Fifa spoke out to increase the pressure on Gianni Infantino.

The U-turn arrived on August 1 when Fifa announced its controversial Forward Enterprise proposal had been scrapped. Earlier this month, Uefa stated that the boycott could still take place, noting that the proposals needed to be withdrawn and assurances had to be made that such attempts would never happen again. Uefa also reiterated its loss of confidence in the reign of Gianni Infantino, with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin previously suggesting that Gianni Infantino should resign or face a challenge at the Fifa elections in March.

However, reports emerged on Wednesday that Uefa is now prepared to lift its boycott threat, allowing next month's Under-20 Women's World Cup to proceed as planned with six European teams: Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

While an official announcement is still pending, a meeting of Uefa’s executive committee and federation in Monaco on Thursday is expected to address the matter and confirm that the conditions for lifting the boycott have been met. A source close to the discussions told BBC Sport that the decision “isn't a climbdown” from Uefa and that the push for “wholesale changes” to Fifa will continue.

Meanwhile, the Italian football federation (FIGC) on Wednesday became the latest body to publicly withdraw support for the embattled Gianni Infantino regarding the governance and development of international competitions.