LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

A EUROPEAN THREAT to boycott the World Cup remains in place despite Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino apologising over the handling of a private investor plan.

Infantino has been under pressure for over a week after a controversial plan to sell stakes in a company to run the World Cup to private investors first emerged on July 28.

The plan was rejected by Uefa and two other continental confederations, with Uefa also stating its 55 member countries would boycott Fifa competitions until the plan was scrapped.

Fifa’s management board gave Infantino its backing at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday and issued an apology over the process followed in developing it, but the European confederation said on Thursday that “changes nothing”.

“Uefa’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non participation in Fifa competitions,” a Uefa statement read.

“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.

“These conditions have not been met. In addition, Uefa made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds.

“Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the Fifa President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing.”

Uefa objected to the process Infantino had followed but most of all to the prospect of private investors having an influence over a sporting competition, amid fears they could push for ever bigger, ever more frequent events.

Infantino intended to create a company, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) which would manage commercial and operational aspects of its competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups.

The most controversial detail was the intention to sell a 20% stake of the company to private investors. Fifa confirmed last week that Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been earmarked to lead the investor group.

As first reported by The Guardian on Thursday, Uefa is also understood to be considering the commission of a study to assess whether Fifa’s proposed 20 billion US dollar (€17bn) valuation of FFE was under market rate.

Fifa’s show of support in its own president and the apology issued over the handling of the FFE plan has also not changed the Football Association’s mind about him. The English governing body is understood to have sent a letter to Fifa confirming the withdrawal of its support for his candidacy in next year’s presidential elections.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has publicly withdrawn its support, along with the FAs of Serbia, Sweden, and Finland.

Sources told the Press Association on Wednesday night that Fifa’s statement had only stoked the fire of the anger his opponents felt towards him, predicting there would now be ‘open warfare’ at the top of world football politics.

Even before Wednesday’s statement, Fifa Council members were understood to be working to secure the 19-strong majority needed to request Infantino to call a meeting, where they could hold him to account over the private investor plan and the Folarin Balogun case.

Council members are understood to remain prepared to carry out a ‘governance boycott’ of Council meetings – which would effectively incapacitate Fifa – if they are unable to reach a majority, or if Infantino refuses the request for a meeting despite gaining the requisite majority.

Fifa’s statement said Infantino had the “full support” of the members of its management board present at Wednesday’s meeting in Rabat and that “mistakes were acknowledged” about the handling of the FFE proposal.

A review into the handling of the FFE proposal was promised, though the statement insisted it was insisted it was undertaken in “full compliance with the Fifa regulatory framework”.

The statement also said Fifa “will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation”.

There was predictable support for Infantino from the Confederation of African Football (Caf), which is currently hosting the Women’s African Cup of Nations.

Declaring its position late on Thursday evening, the organisation endorsed the latest Fifa update and added: “The Caf ExCo (executive committee) also unanimously reconfirmed its support for Fifa President Gianni Infantino and thanked him for his support for African Football, over the years.

“President Infantino, the Fifa secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and the Fifa Administration were also thanked for organizing a very successful Fifa World Cup 2026.”

Meanwhile Conmebol, the federation representing South American nations, said it would not be supporting moves to oust Infantino on an accelerated timetable.

A conciliatory statement argued in favour of the existing timetable relating to the Fifa presidency, which allows for prospective candidates to come forward by November 18.

“(Football’s) future can only be built on respect for the institutions, governance and democratic procedures that represent the 211 Fifa Member Associations,” it read.

“Consequently, Conmebol will not accompany any action or procedure that ignores or departs from said institutional mechanisms.”