UEFA Keeps Infantino Opposition Alive After Ending FIFA Boycott Threat

UEFA will continue trying to unseat FIFA president Gianni Infantino even as it withdraws a threat to boycott FIFA competitions, according to BBC Sport. The report says European football's governing body believes a single opposition candidate can be found before Infantino seeks re-election in March. No challenger has yet been identified.

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UEFA's 55 member associations and Europe's representatives on the FIFA Council are due to receive a letter on Thursday guaranteeing that the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan will not be revived. The formal end of the boycott is expected to be confirmed at UEFA's executive committee meeting in Monaco. That step would meet UEFA's demands and allow the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup to proceed in Poland next week with its European qualifiers intact.

England, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain are scheduled to join host nation Poland as the six European teams in the tournament. FIFA welcomed the boycott's withdrawal and said it was pleased that all qualified teams would participate. A FIFA spokesperson also said the organisation remained committed to developing football through dialogue with confederations and other stakeholders.

The leadership contest remains unresolved. BBC Sport reports that Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is considered a serious option, although UEFA has not settled on a candidate. Nominations must be submitted by 18 November. Winning the FIFA presidency requires support from 106 of the organisation's 211 member associations, and the report says the eventual vote is likely to be close.

UEFA has dropped the separate idea of forcing a no-confidence vote against Infantino, who has led FIFA since February 2016. Such a motion would need approval from three quarters of FIFA's members, or 159 votes, a threshold considered unrealistic. Last month, Europe's associations voted to boycott FIFA competitions until the enterprise proposal was abandoned in full and binding assurances were provided against opening FIFA's governance or competitions to private ownership.

The dispute has also produced competing interventions from former players. BBC Sport reported that Mikael Silvestre issued a statement calling for change, which was shared by Lucy Bronze, Emmanuel Petit and David James. Separately, FIFA-recognised legends Cafu, Christian Vieri, Pepe and Esteban Cambiasso posted messages supporting Infantino. Those public positions underline the division around a contest that remains possible but has yet to produce a confirmed opponent.