European football governing body Uefa has stated that Fifa's backing of its president Gianni Infantino "changes nothing" amid ongoing tensions over a proposed plan 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The English Football Association (FA) has withdrawn its support for Infantino in response to the plan. Uefa issued a statement saying its conditions had not been met despite the plan being aborted. It emphasized that "first, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again."

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 the 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."

Despite Uefa's position, support for Infantino came from 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 football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, issued a public statement after the proposal was aborted but did not express lost confidence in Infantino.

After the meeting, Infantino and his 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.

European teams could still consider boycotting competitions including the World Cup if their concerns are not addressed, underscoring ongoing divisions within global football governance.

Sources