Uefa to push to remove Infantino after dropping boycott

UEFA will continue its efforts to remove Fifa President Gianni Infantino following its decision to abandon the threat of a boycott of competitions. The 55 UEFA member associations, along with European members on the Fifa Council, will receive a letter on Thursday confirming that the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan will not be resurrected.

This confirmation will be made at UEFA's executive committee meeting in Monaco, satisfying UEFA's demands and allowing the Fifa Under-20 Women's World Cup to proceed in Poland next week with six European teams participating.

Despite the removal of the boycott, BBC Sport understands that UEFA remains confident in finding a candidate to oppose Infantino in the re-election vote in March. To win, a candidate would need the support of 106 out of 211 member associations. However, UEFA has ruled out attempting to force a vote of no confidence, as it would require 159 votes, considered highly unlikely.

No candidate has been identified yet, but Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is seen as a serious contender. Nominations for the election must be submitted by November 18.

UEFA's decision to drop the boycott comes after 55 member associations voted to boycott all Fifa competitions until the FFE proposal was fully withdrawn and binding assurances were given that Fifa would never again allow private ownership in its governance or competitions. Following the decision to lift the boycott, Fifa expressed its pleasure that all qualified teams would be participating in the upcoming Under-20 Women's World Cup, with six European teams set to compete.

A Fifa spokesperson stated that the organization strongly believes football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances, and remains committed to developing the game in full dialogue with confederations and stakeholders.