Uefa looks set to drop its threat of boycotting Fifa tournaments after receiving assurances that there will be no repeat of the controversial plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup.
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 from around the globe with Uefa leading the backlash, the European football governing body announced all 55 of its members had 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 criticised the plans, while officials from inside Fifa also spoke out, heaping the pressure on Infantino.
The U-turn arrived on August 1 when Fifa announced its controversial Forward Enterprise proposal had been scrapped. “Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,” it said in a statement. “As a result, this proposal will not proceed.”
Earlier this month, Uefa said that the boycott could still take place. “First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly,” Uefa's statement said.
“Assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again. These conditions have not been met.”
Uefa also repeated that the organisation had “made it abundantly clear” that it had lost confidence in Infantino's Fifa reign. “That position holds,” Uefa added.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin was on record as saying he expected Infantino to resign or face a challenge to his role from another candidate at the Fifa elections in March.
But on Wednesday, reports emerged that Uefa were now ready to lift their boycott threat, meaning next month's Under-20 Women's World Cup will go ahead as planned. That tournament contains six European teams: hosts Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
While there has yet to be an official announcement, there is a meeting of Uefa’s executive committee and federation in Monaco on Thursday, where the matter will be discussed, and it is expected that the conditions for lifting the boycott have been met.
One source close to the discussions told BBC Sport that the move “isn't a climbdown” from Uefa and that the push for “wholesale changes” to Fifa will continue.
“It is not a Uefa defeat, rather the reality of avoiding hurting young players [over a] once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” the source added. “The actions and insistence on change will continue and will win out in the end.”
The Italian football federation (FIGC) on Wednesday became the latest to publicly withdraw support for the embattled Infantino. “This decision is intended to clearly and transparently express the FIGC’s position … regarding the recent initiatives promoted by the Fifa president concerning the governance and development of international competitions,” it said.
