UEFA to Pursue Infantino Challenger After Ending FIFA Boycott Threat

UEFA intends to continue its effort to replace Gianni Infantino as FIFA president even after stepping back from a threatened boycott of FIFA competitions, according to reporting by BBC Sport. Europe's governing body is expected to confirm the end of the boycott threat at its executive committee meeting in Monaco on Thursday.

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The 55 UEFA member associations, together with Europe's representatives on the FIFA Council, are due to receive a letter guaranteeing that the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan will not be revived, the BBC reported. UEFA had demanded that the proposal be abandoned in full and that binding assurances be provided against opening FIFA's governance or competitions to private ownership.

With that dispute eased, the Women's Under-20 World Cup is set to proceed in Poland next week with all six qualified European teams. England, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain are scheduled to join host nation Poland in the tournament. FIFA welcomed the development and said it was pleased that all qualified teams would participate.

UEFA is now focusing on FIFA's presidential election in March rather than trying to force a vote of no confidence. A no-confidence motion would require support from three quarters of FIFA's 211 member associations, or 159 votes, a threshold regarded as unrealistic. Winning the presidential election requires 106 votes.

No challenger has been selected, but BBC Sport reported that UEFA believes a unity candidate can be found. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is considered a serious option, though that does not mean he has decided to run. Nominations must be submitted by November 18. Infantino has led FIFA since February 2016.

The dispute has also produced competing public interventions from former players. A group including Mikael Silvestre said change was necessary at FIFA, while other former internationals, including Cafu, Christian Vieri, Pepe and Esteban Cambiasso, posted messages supporting Infantino. The precise assurances obtained by UEFA have not yet been made public, leaving the presidential contest as the next major test of the governing bodies' strained relationship.