UEFA is maintaining its boycott of the FIFA World Cup and its distrust of FIFA president Gianni Infantino despite an apology from the federation, UEFA confirmed to Sky News on Thursday, August 6.
UEFA said that despite FIFA's retraction over errors in its share-sale process, the conditions it set for ending the impasse have not been met.
FIFA had admitted making mistakes in its attempt to sell part of its shares to private investors. The federation sent a formal apology to all 211 member associations acknowledging the error.
Origins of the UEFA-FIFA tension
The crisis between the two bodies began on July 28, when FIFA revealed plans to sell part of its shares to private investors to generate more revenue. UEFA immediately rejected the plan and threatened to boycott FIFA events.
Since then, UEFA has led criticism of FIFA's plans, spearheading a movement that could push for the current president's departure. The boycott could also keep European national teams out of the Women's Under-20 World Cup, set to be played in September in Poland.
Resistance to tournament expansion
UEFA also opposes the expansion of the World Cup and has resisted the Club World Cup. According to UEFA, these tournaments fall during players' rest periods, cutting into athletes' recovery time and harming some clubs.
According to talkSport, UEFA is also coordinating with the European Club Association to boycott the 2029 Club World Cup. CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have also aligned against FIFA's proposal.
