UEFA says FIFA boycott remains despite Infantino World Cup selloff U-turn

UEFA has issued a statement saying its 55 member associations remain committed to boycotting FIFA competitions, stressing that the global governing body has failed to meet their key conditions for returning.

European football’s governing body voted unanimously last Thursday to withdraw from all FIFA events following the announcement by FIFA President Gianni Infantino that the global body would seek to sell minority stakes in World Cups and other events.

Infantino has since withdrawn the proposal and, under mounting pressure from across the sport, received the backing of the global body’s leadership at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.

UEFA, however, has said that the withdrawal of Infantino’s selloff plan was not its only requirement for renewed collaboration with FIFA.

“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to their non-participation in FIFA competitions,” the statement read.

“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.”

“These conditions have not been met,” the group said.

FIFA and Infantino tried to present a united front following the high-level summit, saying the president had the full support of those in attendance.

Football’s governing body even apologised to its own council and member associations for errors and committed to “ensure they do not happen again”.

UEFA remained dissatisfied and issued a defiant message, pointing clearly to its position on who holds the top job at FIFA.

“UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds,” Thursday’s statement added.

“Yesterday’s (Wednesday) announcement that some people employed by the FIFA President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing.”

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request by Al Jazeera for comment.

UEFA confirmed to Al Jazeera on Tuesday that they had issued FIFA with a “document preservation letter” – an action that seeks to ensure that no potential evidence for ongoing or potential future legal action is deleted or destroyed.

The continental body’s vice president, Laura McAllister, said earlier Thursday that any future FIFA president should be a “custodian of ⁠the sport” capable of uniting world football as pressure grows on the embattled current chief.

“There’s so much politics around this. There’s such an imperative to get a candidate who could unite the whole world of ⁠football, not just Europe in this case,” McAllister said in an interview with the broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

The first test of UEFA’s boycott of FIFA events comes September 5, when Poland is set to host the FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup.