UEFA Says World Cup Boycott Stands, Pressuring Infantino

UEFA, the body representing 55 European soccer associations, said Thursday that it will maintain its boycott of the World Cup, keeping pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign over a failed plan to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors.

UEFA first announced the boycott last week after FIFA unveiled the proposal, which would have created a separate venture to handle all commercial operations of the World Cup and other tournaments, then sold part of that company to financial firms.

Infantino said the plan would raise funds that could be distributed around the world. Instead, soccer officials across the globe revolted against a move that would have effectively privatized the World Cup. One of the sharpest blows came from inside FIFA: a senior adviser quit, while a senior executive issued a blistering statement to the Associated Press opposing the plan and saying Infantino had hatched it without any internal consultation.

Infantino has since abandoned the plan, but UEFA said its boycott stands until it receives a guarantee that FIFA will never again try to commercialize the tournament in this way.

"UEFA's associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions. First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.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," UEFA said.

UEFA also dismissed a FIFA statement Wednesday in which top officials agreed to close ranks after Infantino apologized at an internal emergency meeting in Morocco. "Yesterday's announcement that some people employed by the FIFA President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing," UEFA said.

FIFPRO, which represents players worldwide, separately condemned FIFA over the plan, demanded governance reforms and repeated its call for Infantino's ouster. The English Football Association has also called for him to go. CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, has not explicitly asked for his resignation but has not expressed support either.

Infantino has said he will seek another term in elections scheduled for March, and so far has no challengers.

A sustained European boycott would threaten both FIFA and Infantino. The Women's World Cup is set for Brazil next year and now risks going ahead without European teams, including reigning champion Spain. The next men's World Cup is scheduled to be held largely in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with some games in Argentina and other South American nations.