UEFA “Recall World Cup Boycott”… Yet ‘FIFA President Must Resign’ Backlash Continues
*This content was translated by AI.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) appears to have forgiven FIFA to some extent. UEFA, which had declared a boycott of FIFA-organized tournaments in protest against FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s push to sell stakes in the World Cup through private equity funds, has now decided to withdraw the boycott.
British outlet ‘BBC’ reported on the 26th (Korean time) that “UEFA plans to withdraw its threat of boycotting FIFA-organized tournaments after receiving assurances that In Pan-ti-no (Chairman)’s plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors will not be repeated.”
On the same day, FIFA also expressed its welcome, stating, “We are pleased that all teams qualifying for the upcoming Under-20 (U-20) Women’s World Cup will participate.” This matter is scheduled to be formally discussed at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Monaco.
If the boycott withdrawal is finalized, the U-20 Women’s World Cup to be held next month in Poland will proceed as planned. Six European countries, including host nation Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, will now be able to participate in the tournament.
This conflict originated from In Pan-ti-no (Chairman)’s plan to establish a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprises, which would take exclusive responsibility for commercial and ticket sales rights for major FIFA tournaments including the World Cup, and sell 21% of its shares to private equity funds. It was further revealed that the investment group included venture capital linked to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, sparking strong backlash from the global football community.
Led by UEFA, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined forces to declare a boycott against FIFA. Ultimately, In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) and FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafström fully scrapped the plan and issued an apology. During this process, the organization also faced serious internal turmoil, including the sudden dismissal of FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamoer, who had criticized the project as unilateral, and the resignation of former senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro.
However, despite signs of a boycott withdrawal, pressure on In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) to step down is expected to continue from UEFA. A source told ‘BBC’, “This decision is not a defeat for UEFA. It is merely a practical choice to prevent young players who have only one chance in their lives from suffering harm.” The source further emphasized, “Demands and actions for leadership renewal will continue until the end.”
In addition, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin remains firm in his stance that he will either demand In Pan-ti-no (Chairman)’s voluntary resignation or present a strong alternative candidate in next year’s FIFA presidential election scheduled for March.
Reactions from football legends surrounding In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) were also sharply divided. Some icons, including Mikael Silvestre, Lucy Bronze, Emmanuel Petit, and David James, called for a change at the top of FIFA, stating, “It is time for FIFA to change.” However, former FIFA legends such as Cafu, Christian Vieri, Pepe, and Esteban Cambiasso are publicly supporting In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) via social networking services (SNS) in opposition.
With In Pan-ti-no (Chairman), who had previously been surrounded by controversy including allegations of preferential promotions for female staff during his tenure as UEFA Secretary-General and misappropriation of public funds, now given a lifeline through the successful staging of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, power struggles within the football community surrounding next year’s presidential election are expected to intensify further.
*This content was translated by AI.
Crédito: Link de origem