UCL draw: UEFA set to withdraw FIFA boycott threat

UEFA is set to withdraw its threat to boycott FIFA competitions, resolving a dispute over private financing for the World Cup. The European governing body had reacted strongly to FIFA's proposal to create a commercial subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in a company running major events like the World Cup and Club World Cup. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin had described the proposal as a "shady, opaque backroom deal".

According to IOL, UEFA's threat to boycott was a strong statement that was widely credited with being pivotal in the plan being quickly shelved. With UEFA executives and European member associations meeting in Monaco, sources told AFP that the threat to boycott FIFA tournaments would likely be withdrawn, satisfying UEFA's demands.

UEFA will still press on with its attempt to remove Gianni Infantino as FIFA president, with a unity candidate potentially to be found to stand against him in the election in March, as per Adom Online and Yahoo Sports.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, IOL, Adom Online, Yahoo Sports, New Straits Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.