Uefa intends to continue its efforts to replace Gianni Infantino as Fifa president, even though it has withdrawn its proposed boycott of competitions.
On Thursday, the 55 national associations and Europe’s representatives on the Fifa Council will receive a letter guaranteeing that the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal will not be brought back.
The decision to formally end the boycott is expected to be confirmed during Uefa’s executive committee meeting in Monaco.
This will meet Uefa’s conditions and allow the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup to begin in Poland next week with six European sides taking part.
However, Uefa reportedly believes that a single consensus candidate can be chosen to challenge Infantino when he seeks re-election in March.
The election could be narrowly decided, as a candidate needs support from 106 of Fifa’s 211 member associations to win.
Uefa has nevertheless dropped its plan to pursue a no-confidence vote.
Such a motion would need the approval of three-quarters of the member associations, equivalent to 159 votes, a target regarded as unattainable.
A challenger has not yet been selected, although Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is viewed as a credible possibility.
All nominations must be filed by 18 November.
The contest is expected to be tight, meaning that even an Infantino victory could seriously weaken his presidency by raising questions about his authority and legitimacy.
Last month, Europe’s 55 football associations agreed to stay away from all Fifa tournaments unless the FFE plan was completely abandoned and binding guarantees were provided that Fifa would never place its governance or competitions under private ownership.
Following the cancellation of the boycott, Fifa welcomed the decision and expressed satisfaction that every qualified team would compete at the forthcoming Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and host nation Poland are the six European teams due to participate in the competition.
A Fifa representative said the organisation firmly believes football can bring people together during difficult periods and remains dedicated to growing the sport through open discussions with confederations and other stakeholders.
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