UEFA suspends FIFA boycott threat but steps up pressure on world body

On August 27, UEFA provisionally suspended its plans to withdraw European teams from FIFA competitions, following FIFA's announcement that its controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise project had been permanently abandoned. The project, championed by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, would have entailed selling a stake in future World Cups to outside investors.

UEFA had obtained the two assurances it desired from FIFA on July 30 and, after consulting with its National Associations, decided to suspend the withdrawal of European teams from FIFA competitions on a provisional basis, according to a UEFA statement. However, UEFA emphasized that the broader governance crisis at FIFA remains unresolved.

European football officials had unanimously directed the confederation to employ all possible institutional, political, and legal measures to achieve reforms and restore limits on presidential authority.

Furthermore, UEFA called for a genuinely independent external review of the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, stating that FIFA cannot investigate itself and expect the football community to accept its conclusions.