UEFA Rejects Infantino Apology, FIFA Boycott Continues
UEFA and all 55 federations under its wing are still boycotting FIFA competitions. Infantino's apology, Nyon says, met neither of the two conditions set.
Sky Sports News put up a red banner on Thursday carrying a single sentence: the boycott of FIFA competitions still stands. No footnote, no deadline, no door left open. A few hours earlier it looked like things might cool down, since FIFA president Gianni Infantino had in the meantime apologized to everyone involved.
Nyon’s answer was that it does not believe the apology and does not accept it. UEFA confirmed on August 6 that it and all 55 national federations under its umbrella are continuing to stay out of World Football Federation competitions, exactly as announced a few days earlier. The boycott covers the World Cup as well.
“We have made clear that we no longer have confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino. That position has not changed,” UEFA said.
The statement was given to Sky Sports in England and contains no mention of negotiations. European football’s governing body is repeating what it said in the preceding days: it has lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership of the federation.
Why the apology fell short
Because withdrawing the disputed proposal covers only half the bill. UEFA set two conditions for ending the boycott:
- that proposals to sell the biggest competitions be withdrawn
- that guarantees be given that similar attempts to undermine football will never happen again
Nyon says neither condition has been met. The first was formally taken off the table after strong pushback from European federations, the second was never even offered.
The disputed plan involved selling commercial rights to the World Cup and all FIFA competitions to private investors. FIFA subsequently released a joint letter signed by Infantino and secretary general Mathias Grafstrom, stating that the organization’s leadership fully backs its president. UEFA disputes the credibility of that document too, arguing it was signed by FIFA staff whose jobs depend on the president himself.
Which competition feels it first
The first competition the boycott could hit is the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, set to be played next month in Poland. The tournament falls under FIFA, and participation by European national teams remains in doubt for as long as the decision of the 55 federations stands.
That is the point easy to miss when the dispute gets read as a clash between two men. The first to pay the price are neither Infantino nor the federation presidents, but the young players who won their qualifiers and packed for Poland.
Where Serbia stands
The Football Association of Serbia is one of those 55 members, and we already reported on it withdrawing its support for Infantino, seventy days after the letter that had backed him. At the time the move looked like a belated switch of sides. It is now clear it was part of a broader realignment that gave Nyon a full majority and let it deal with FIFA as a single bloc.
That is why this dispute will not be settled by a new statement. UEFA asked for guarantees, and a guarantee is a written document that binds someone even after their term ends, not a sentence delivered in front of cameras. Until that document exists, European federations will read every next Infantino appearance as one more apology.
The next test is a calendar one, not a diplomatic one. If the conditions are not met before the Under-20 Women’s World Cup kicks off in Poland next month, the boycott stops being a statement and turns into an empty list of participants.
