UEFA Set to Drop FIFA Boycott Threat Following Guarantees on Commercial Rights
7 sources across 5 countries
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Deutsche Welle
- The Guardian
- BBC News
- CNN Brasil
- Tempo English
- Aftenposten
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
UEFA is expected to abandon its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments after receiving guarantees that FIFA will not revive plans to sell stakes in the World Cup and other major competitions to private investors. The decision follows the withdrawal of a proposal by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to create a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), a move that had sparked strong opposition from UEFA's 55 member associations. The resolution is expected to be communicated during a meeting of UEFA's executive committee and national association presidents in Monaco on Thursday.
The lifting of the boycott ensures that European teams will participate in the Under-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, which begins on September 5. Participating European nations include England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the host nation, Poland. Sources close to the negotiations stated that the decision was made to avoid penalizing young players during a once in a lifetime opportunity, though they emphasized that this does not represent a defeat for UEFA.
Despite the resolution regarding the boycott, pressure on Gianni Infantino continues. UEFA is reportedly seeking an overhaul of FIFA's leadership, and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has publicly withdrawn its support for Infantino. Some reports indicate that UEFA has sent a formal notice to FIFA considering legal action and requesting the preservation of all documents related to the FFE plan. Infantino is expected to stand for re-election in March 2027, though UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has stated he will not run for the position.
Public reaction among former players remains divided. A group including Mikael Silvestre and Lucy Bronze has called for change at the head of FIFA, while other FIFA Legends, such as Cafu and Christian Vieri, have posted messages of support for Infantino's leadership.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the controversy surrounding Infantino's leadership style and framed the event as a humiliation for a scandal hit organization.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the factual sequence of the boycott withdrawal and the specific conditions met regarding the commercial rights guarantees.
- Centre-right
- This outlet highlighted the specific actions of national federations and the broader principles of football governance and solidarity.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: Claims Europe drops Fifa boycott, Italy turns its back on Infantino
- Centre BBC News: Uefa set to drop Fifa tournament boycott threat
- Centre CNN Brasil: Uefa should abandon boycott of Fifa tournaments, sources say
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Dispute over Gianni Infantino: Uefa withdraws boycott threats against Fifa
- Centre Deutsche Welle: Reports: UEFA backs off FIFA boycott threat
- Centre-left Tempo English: Reports: UEFA Backs off FIFA Boycott Threat
- Centre-left The Guardian: Uefa poised to lift boycott threat after Fifa promises no World Cup sale repeat
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.