UEFA’s boycott of FIFA competitions, including the World Cups, is still officially ON. That’s right, the 55 European federations that unanimously voted to suspend their participation over a week ago are still dug in, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s ‘apologies’ aren’t cutting it. One week after that emergency meeting on July 30, the European governing body remains totally dissatisfied. Talk about a bombshell!
Why Europe Is Still Ready to Walk Away from World Cups
So, what’s the deal? Infantino called off his widely panned plans to sell shares of the World Cup, which you’d think would fix things, right? WRONG. UEFA laid out their conditions super clear: first, those insane proposals to sell off major competitions had to be withdrawn. But second, they needed rock-solid assurances that “such attempts to disfigure the game” would *never* happen again. Guess what? “These conditions have not been met,” UEFA declared in a statement. They’re also making it crystal clear they have zero confidence in Infantino or his future as FIFA president. It’s not just about stopping a bad idea, it’s about making sure it can’t come back.
Infantino’s “Crisis Meeting” Just Made Things Worse
Infantino tried to save face, convening FIFA’s top officials at a “crisis meeting” in Morocco on Wednesday. Afterwards, in an unsigned statement, FIFA’s leadership actually admitted to “errors” in how the proposal was handled and apologized to its 211 member associations for cutting them out of “the process.” They even promised an internal review. BUT THEN, the same statement tried to prop Infantino up, saying the “successful delivery of the FIFA World Cup” wouldn’t be possible without him and that he has the “full support” of FIFA’s management board and secretary general Mattias Grafström. Talk about mixed messages! Meanwhile, Grafström himself sent an internal email to FIFA staff trying to calm the storm, telling them “You do not need to worry” and assuring them they’d be “defended and safeguarded from the political context.” He even called it a “turmoil.” Yikes. This is clearly a mess inside the building. We also know FIFA COO Kevin Lamour wasn’t even invited to that Morocco meeting after previously saying senior staff was “deceived” by Infantino. And get this: former senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned, claiming no involvement and strong opposition to the whole plan.
The Clock is Ticking on Infantino’s Presidency
The heat on Infantino is turning up fast. Former Portugal star Luis Figo, who ran for president himself in 2015, flat-out said, “Infantino must go.” Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Hussein ruled out endorsing him. And it’s not just talk: Finland, Wales, Serbia, and England have all officially withdrawn their endorsements for Infantino’s re-election bid. The man is clearly losing support in Europe, even though some federations in Africa and Asia (like Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, and the UAE) still back him. Infantino wants a fourth term in the March 2027 presidential election, but with Victor Montagliani, the president of CONCACAF, widely seen as a challenger, and Europe actively campaigning against him, this is going to be a wild ride. Get ready for the next chapter in this FIFA drama, because it feels like everything is on the line.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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