UEFA has abandoned its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, but Europe’s battle with Gianni Infantino is far from over.
Instead of pursuing a direct confrontation through a boycott or a vote of no confidence, European football’s governing body is now focusing on finding a unity candidate capable of challenging Infantino in next year’s FIFA presidential election.
UEFA’s 55 member associations and its representatives on the FIFA Council are expected to receive confirmation that the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise plan will not be revived.
The withdrawal of the boycott is expected to be formally confirmed at UEFA’s executive committee meeting in Monaco, according to BBC Sport.
That decision clears the way for all six European teams to participate in next week’s FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland. England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland are all scheduled to compete.
But UEFA’s retreat from the boycott does not represent an end to its opposition to Infantino.
BBC Sport reports that UEFA remains confident a unity candidate can be found to stand against the FIFA president when he seeks re-election in March.
The numbers make the contest potentially significant. A presidential candidate needs the backing of 106 of FIFA’s 211 member associations to secure victory, meaning UEFA believes the election could be closely fought if Europe succeeds in building a broad coalition.
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UEFA has, however, abandoned plans for a vote of no confidence against Infantino because such a move would require support from 159 associations, equivalent to three-quarters of FIFA’s membership.
No challenger has officially been identified yet, although Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is regarded as a serious potential candidate.
The deadline for presidential nominations is November 18, giving UEFA and its allies time to identify and rally behind a candidate capable of presenting a credible alternative to Infantino.
For UEFA, the objective may extend beyond simply winning the election.
The European body believes that even if Infantino retains the FIFA presidency in a closely contested vote, a significant drop in his level of support could damage his authority and raise questions about the legitimacy of his leadership.
The latest development follows a sharp escalation last month, when UEFA’s 55 associations voted to boycott FIFA competitions until the Forward Enterprise proposal was abandoned completely and binding guarantees were provided that FIFA would not again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.
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FIFA has welcomed UEFA’s decision to withdraw the boycott threat, particularly because it ensures that all qualified teams can participate in the upcoming Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
The world governing body has also maintained that football can serve as a unifying force during difficult periods and said it remains committed to developing the sport through dialogue with the confederations and other stakeholders.
The standoff has moved from the threat of European boycotts to the possibility of an electoral battle.
UEFA may have stepped back from disrupting FIFA competitions, but its search for a candidate to challenge Infantino shows that the political contest over the future direction of world football is still gathering momentum.
