Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino attempted to promote the sale of some commercial rights for events like the World Cup, which has sparked widespread criticism and doubt. Under pressure from various parties, Infantino publicly apologized and announced that he would withdraw the related plan.
But UEFA did not accept Inzaggo’s apology. According to a report by the BBC on August 6, in response to FIFA’s latest statement, UEFA issued a statement on the same day saying that Inzaggo’s apology and FIFA officials’ explanations “do nothing to change anything.” The conditions for lifting the boycott of FIFA matches have not been met.
The statement says: "All members of UEFA have clearly stated the conditions for lifting the boycott. First, the proposal to sell the major competitions must be withdrawn; second, it is necessary to ensure that such attempts to undermine football will not happen again. These conditions have not been met."
UEFA stated that Ivanko's apology and the defense by UEFA officials "do nothing to change the situation." "In its statement from last Saturday, UEFA clearly stated that it no longer has confidence in Ivanko's leadership, and this stance remains unchanged."
In addition, the English Football Association has sent a letter to FIFA, withdrawing its support for Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA President next year.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino IC photo
Infante previously planned to establish a commercial subsidiary that would bring in private capital, and to entrust the commercial rights to core FIFA events such as the World Cup to this company. This plan sparked strong opposition from the international football community. UEFA warned that if the plan continued, there was a possibility of boycotting FIFA events, including the World Cup. Infante subsequently announced the termination of this plan.
On August 5 local time, FIFA held a meeting in Morocco and acknowledged that it had made a mistake with this plan. However, FIFA officials reiterated their commitment to fully support Infantino.
Previously, there were reports that UEFA intends to remove Infantino through a vote of distrust and is currently looking for a candidate to replace him as FIFA president. However, the BBC pointed out that the idea of removing Infantino may not receive sufficient support.
The 56-year-old Gianni Infantino was elected president of FIFA in 2016. In 2019 and 2023, Infantino was re-elected as FIFA president without any competitors. The next presidential election of FIFA is scheduled to take place in Rabat, Morocco, in March next year.
