The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced on March 1 that it has lost confidence in the current leadership of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), despite the withdrawal of a controversial plan by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Earlier, UEFA voted on February 27 to boycott FIFA if the organization did not withdraw its proposal to sell minority stakes in the World Cup and other events to private investors.
By the evening of February 28, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the cancellation of the plan, named FIFA Future Enterprise (FFE), following widespread opposition.
In a statement on March 1, UEFA welcomed the move but continued to strongly criticize Infantino's management style.
"We cannot continue like this with secret plans, implemented at a fast pace, staged by anonymous individuals, and bringing unclear benefits to football. We must identify those responsible and hold them accountable," the UEFA statement read.
UEFA stressed: "The current FIFA leadership has lost the confidence not only of UEFA but also of many other members of the football family."
The European football body also recalled Infantino's commitment when he ran for FIFA president in 2016: "Of course we must be transparent. FIFA's money is your money, not the FIFA president's. You are the national federations, and FIFA's money must serve the development of football, not any other purpose."
"On both promises, he has failed. The bad deal, lacking transparency, that he staged and tried to push through is not transparent at all," UEFA emphasized.
UEFA said it is ready to cooperate with partners and stakeholders to propose new ways of allocating resources through the existing FIFA Forward program.
