UEFA may end FIFA boycott threat after private talks over World Cup plans

UEFA is expected to lift its threat to boycott FIFA competitions after reportedly receiving assurances that plans to sell stakes in the World Cup and other major tournaments to private investors will not be revived.

The issue is expected to be formally discussed Thursday at a meeting of UEFA’s Executive Committee in Monaco, Anadolu Agency reported.

The dispute began on July 28, when FIFA unveiled its FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. The plan envisaged creating a company to control the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions, with part of the company potentially sold to private investors.

The proposal triggered strong opposition in European football. On July 30, UEFA’s 55 member associations unanimously agreed to boycott FIFA competitions unless the plan was withdrawn “in its entirety” and FIFA provided binding guarantees that the organization would not again open its major competitions or governance to private ownership.

FIFA withdrew the proposal on Aug. 1 following criticism from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF.

While the withdrawal satisfied UEFA’s first demand, the European governing body initially said FIFA had not provided sufficient guarantees that a similar plan would not return in another form.

On Aug. 6, UEFA said its conditions for ending the proposed boycott had not been met.

“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again,” UEFA said at the time.

After several weeks of private discussions, UEFA has now reportedly received the assurances it was seeking, potentially clearing the way for the boycott threat to be withdrawn.

The development would allow six European teams to take part in the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 5 in Poland.

“FIFA is pleased that all qualified teams will be participating in the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “FIFA strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances, and looks forward to welcoming all teams and players to Poland.”

However, the expected end of the boycott threat does not resolve wider tensions between UEFA and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said Monday that he would not stand for the FIFA presidency but renewed his call for Infantino to step down or face a challenger in next March’s election.

Ceferin said Infantino could either recognize that he no longer has sufficient support within the football community or contest the election and potentially face an opposing candidate.

The comments suggest that while the immediate dispute over FIFA’s proposed commercial structure may be nearing an end, tensions over the future leadership and direction of world football remain.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada