FIFA President Gianni Infantino (L) and CAF President Patrice Motsepe (R) talk ahead of the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football matc between South Africa and Canada at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 28, 2026. [AFP]
Pressure built on FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday over his cancelled plan to bring private finance into football's World Cup, with European governing body UEFA reiterating a threat to boycott tournaments.
The 56-year-old Swiss official has also been criticised by South American body CONMEBOL. But he did get backing from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Infantino received the "full support" of senior FIFA directors at an emergency meeting in Morocco on Wednesday but UEFA released a blunt statement in response.
UEFA's initial threat issued last Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions is said to have been pivotal in forcing Infantino to shelve the private investment deal.
Calls for him to step down had grown since he abandoned it last Saturday.
FIFA said it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
Although the abandonment of the proposal was one of UEFA's conditions for it to withdraw its threat, it said that not all of its demands had been met.