European football's governing body Uefa has abandoned its threatened boycott of Fifa competitions but remains determined to remove Gianni Infantino from the Fifa presidency, according to reports.
Uefa's 55 member associations, together with Europe's representatives on the Fifa Council, are set to receive a letter on Thursday confirming that the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan will not be revived. The formal withdrawal of the boycott threat is expected to be confirmed during Uefa's executive committee meeting in Monaco.
The move clears the way for the Fifa Under-20 Women's World Cup to proceed as planned in Poland next week, with six European nations - England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland - among the competing teams.
Despite easing tensions over the tournament, Uefa is reportedly confident it can identify a single candidate to challenge Infantino when he seeks re-election in March. Any successful bid to unseat him would require the support of 106 of Fifa's 211 member associations, a threshold described as achievable but far from certain. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has emerged as a potential candidate, though no nomination has been confirmed. The deadline for nominations is 18 November.
Uefa has, however, shelved plans to pursue a formal vote of no confidence against Infantino, a route that would have demanded backing from three-quarters of member associations - 159 votes - and was deemed unfeasible. Sources suggest that even a narrow election victory for Infantino could weaken his standing significantly, given the scale of opposition building against him.
The dispute originated last month when Uefa's 55 members voted to boycott all Fifa competitions unless the FFE proposal was scrapped entirely and Fifa provided binding guarantees against future private ownership involvement in its governance or competitions. Following the reversal of the boycott, Fifa welcomed the resolution, stating it was "pleased that all qualified teams will be participating in the upcoming Under-20 Women's World Cup."
A Fifa spokesperson added that the organisation "strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances," and reaffirmed its commitment to developing the sport through dialogue with confederations and other stakeholders.
The leadership row has also drawn public commentary from prominent figures in the game. On Tuesday, a coalition of former players issued a statement declaring that "change is necessary" at Fifa's helm. Former Manchester United and France defender Mikael Silvestre, a member of Fifa's Players' Voice Panel, posted a pointed message on social media titled