UEFA keeps up push to oust Infantino despite dropping FIFA boycott

UEFA buried its threat to boycott FIFA competitions on Wednesday, but its battle with Gianni Infantino is far from over. The European body will press ahead with efforts to remove the Swiss official from the presidency and is confident it can rally a unity candidate to challenge him in March.

• UEFA has officially withdrawn its boycott of FIFA competitions.
• The 55 member associations will receive a letter guaranteeing the Fifa Forward Enterprise plan will not be revived.
• The Under-20 Women's World Cup goes ahead next week in Poland with six European teams.
• UEFA is working to find a consensus candidate to stand against Infantino in the March election.
• Even a narrow Infantino victory could leave his presidency badly weakened.

Why UEFA is lifting its FIFA boycott now

The formal end of the boycott will be confirmed at UEFA's executive committee meeting in Monaco. The 55 member associations, along with Europe's representatives on the FIFA Council, will receive a document on Thursday stating that the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) project will not be brought back.

That guarantee meets Europe's demands and clears the way for the Under-20 Women's World Cup to begin next week in Poland with six teams from the continent: England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland.

What the Fifa Forward Enterprise plan was and why it sparked the row

Last month, all 55 European member associations voted to boycott every FIFA competition until the FFE proposal was dropped "in its entirety" and "binding assurances" were given that FIFA would never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.

FIFA welcomed Europe's climbdown in a statement saying it was "pleased that all qualified teams will be participating in the upcoming Under-20 Women's World Cup". A spokesperson added that the governing body "strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances" and remains "committed" to developing the game in "full dialogue with the confederations and stakeholders".

How UEFA plans to unseat Infantino in the March election

UEFA believes it can build a unity candidacy to take on Infantino when he seeks re-election in March. The vote is expected to be tight: a candidate needs the backing of 106 of the 211 member associations to win.

The European body has abandoned the idea of forcing a vote of no confidence, however. That would require three quarters of all member associations, or 159 votes, a threshold considered unrealistic.

Who could run against Infantino?

No candidate has been formally identified yet, but Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is seen as a serious option. UEFA is working to build alliances with other confederations to put forward a name capable of drawing broad support.

BBC Sport understands any vote is expected to be close. That scenario means even an Infantino win could cause terminal damage to his presidency and leave his legitimacy compromised for the next cycle.

Players split: criticism and support for Infantino

The institutional power struggle has also spilled into the dressing room. On Tuesday, a group of former players published a statement saying "change is necessary" at the head of FIFA. Former Manchester United and France defender Mikael Silvestre, who sits on FIFA's Players' Voice Panel, posted a message on X on Monday titled "Enough is Enough!".

Change is necessary at the head of FIFA.

The statement has been shared on social media by England defender Lucy Bronze, France's 1998 World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit and former England goalkeeper David James.

On Wednesday, however, a different group of former players voiced support for Infantino. They included Brazil's World Cup-winning captain Cafu, former Italy striker Christian Vieri, former Portugal captain Pepe and ex-Argentina international Esteban Cambiasso. All of them are officially recognised as FIFA Legends.

Vieri backed the Swiss official's record: "Over the past 10 years, we have seen the work FIFA and President Infantino have done to create representativity for players in football, which did not exist. We will remain available to support the great evolution our game has seen this past decade, so that it keeps reaching and benefiting people of every country that plays football all around the world."

What is at stake for UEFA in its FIFA power struggle

The FFE dispute was never a routine administrative disagreement. UEFA saw the proposal as a gateway for private capital to take control of football's governance and competitions, a red line for the European body.

With the boycott threat withdrawn, the fight now moves to the electoral arena. UEFA's ability to build alliances with other confederations and field a credible challenger will shape the immediate future of FIFA and the balance of power in world football.