European football governing body Uefa has stated that Fifa's backing of its president Gianni Infantino "changes nothing" amid ongoing tensions over a controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

The English Football Association (FA) has withdrawn its support for Infantino in response to the plan. Despite the proposal being aborted, Uefa said in a statement that its conditions had not been met. "First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again," the statement said.

Uefa has previously declared it has lost confidence in Infantino, describing the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal as a "shabby, back room, unclear deal." Meanwhile, Fifa acknowledged "mistakes" regarding FFE during a meeting on Wednesday, stating it was "not the intention" for the Fifa Council and member associations to "feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently."

Support for Infantino remains from other football bodies, including Conmebol (the South American confederation), the Confederation of African Football (Caf), and the football associations of World Cup co-hosts Mexico and runners-up Argentina. Concacaf, overseeing North and Central America and the Caribbean, issued a statement after the proposal was aborted but did not express lost confidence in Infantino.

After the meeting, Infantino and deputy Grafstrom were seen together, smiling at a Women's Africa Cup of Nations match between Malawi and Zambia, suggesting a temporary easing of tensions.

The situation leaves open the possibility that European teams could still boycott competitions, including the World Cup, as Uefa insists on firm assurances against future attempts to alter the game's structure in similar ways.

Sources urge football's political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make appropriate decisions moving forward.

Sources