Uefa continues its efforts to oust Gianni Infantino as president of Fifa, even after withdrawing the threat to boycott competitions.

The 55 member associations, along with Europe’s representatives on the Fifa Council, will receive a letter on Thursday assuring that the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan will not be reinstated.

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The formal cancellation of the boycott will be announced during Uefa’s executive committee meeting in Monaco, which will fulfill Uefa’s stipulations and ensure that the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup can proceed next week in Poland with six European teams participating.

Information from BBC Sport indicates that Uefa is optimistic about finding a consensus candidate to challenge Infantino in the upcoming election set for March.

The vote is anticipated to be competitive, requiring the support of 106 out of 211 member associations for a successful election.

Although Uefa has discarded plans for a vote of no confidence against Infantino, which would demand three-quarters approval from the member associations (159 votes), a task deemed unfeasible.

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No official candidate has emerged yet, but Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is viewed as a viable option. Nominations must be submitted by 18 November.

According to BBC Sport, any election is expected to be closely contested, and should Infantino win, it might severely undermine his presidency and legitimacy.

Last month, European football’s 55 member associations voted to boycott all Fifa competitions until the FFE proposal was completely eliminated and binding assurances were made that Fifa would not again allow private ownership in its governance or competitions.

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Fifa welcomed the cessation of the boycott, expressing satisfaction that all qualified teams will participate in the forthcoming Under-20 Women’s World Cup. Six European teams, including England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and hosts Poland, are scheduled to compete in the tournament.

A Fifa spokesperson stated the organization “strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances” and emphasized its commitment to developing the game in collaboration with confederations and stakeholders.

Former Players Split on Fifa Leadership

On Tuesday, a coalition of former players issued a statement declaring that “change is necessary” at the helm of Fifa.

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Mikael Silvestre, ex-Manchester United and France defender, expressed his views on X with a message titled “Enough is Enough!”, which has garnered support from various high-profile players, including England defender Lucy Bronze and France’s 1998 World Cup champion Emmanuel Petit.

However, on Wednesday, another group of former stars, consisting of World Cup-winning Brazil captain Cafu, former Italy striker Christian Vieri, former Portugal captain Pepe, and ex-Argentina international Esteban Cambiasso, shared their supportive messages for Infantino via social media.

These players, recognized as so-called Fifa Legends, voiced their backing for the current leadership.

Vieri remarked: “Over the past 10 years, we have seen the work Fifa and President Infantino have done to create representativity for players in football, which did not exist. We will remain available to support the great evolution our game has seen this past decade, so that it keeps reaching and benefiting people of every country that plays football all around the world.”

Uefa will press on with its attempt to remove Gianni Infantino as Fifa president despite withdrawing the threat to boycott competitions.

The 55 member associations, plus Europe’s members on the Fifa Council, will on Thursday be presented with a letter which guarantees the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan will not be revived.

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The official removal of the boycott will be confirmed at Uefa’s executive committee meeting in Monaco.

That will satisfy Uefa’s demands and mean the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup can go ahead next week in Poland with six European teams.

But BBC Sport understands Uefa is confident that a unity candidate can be found to stand against Infantino when he is up for re-election in March.

The vote is likely to be close, with the backing of 106 of the 211 member associations needed to be elected.

However, Uefa has abandoned the idea of trying to force a vote of no confidence.

It would require three quarters of the member associations, 159 votes, to pass the motion, which is considered unrealistic.

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No candidate has been identified, though Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is considered a serious option.

Nominations must be submitted by 18 November.

BBC Sport understands that any vote is expected to be close, and for that reason even if Infantino was to win it could cause terminal damage to his presidency, with his legitimacy compromised.

Last month, European football’s 55 member associations voted to boycott all Fifa competitions until the FFE proposal was dropped “in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that Fifa will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership”.

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After the boycott was dropped, Fifa welcomed the development, saying it is “pleased that all qualified teams will be participating in the upcoming Under-20 Women’s World Cup”.

Six European teams – England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and hosts Poland – are scheduled to play in the tournament.

A Fifa spokesperson said it “strongly believes that football has the power to unite, even in challenging circumstances” and Fifa “remains committed” to developing the game in “full dialogue with the confederations and stakeholders”.

Former players divided on Fifa

On Tuesday, a group of former players published a statement saying “change is necessary” at the head of Fifa.

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Former Manchester United and France defender Mikael Silvestre, who sits on Fifa’s Players’ Voice Panel, issued a statement on X on Monday in a post he titled “Enough is Enough!”.

The statement has been shared on social media by the likes of England defender Lucy Bronze, France’s 1998 World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit and former England goalkeeper David James.

However on Wednesday, a different group of former players including World Cup-winning Brazil captain Cafu, former Italy striker Christian Vieri, former Portugal captain Pepe and ex-Argentina international Esteban Cambiasso all posted supportive messages for Infantino on social media.

All of the players are so-called Fifa Legends, officially recognised by the governing body.

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Vieri’s statement said: “Over the past 10 years, we have seen the work Fifa and President Infantino have done to create representativity for players in football, which did not exist.

“We will remain available to support the great evolution our game has seen this past decade, so that it keeps reaching and benefiting people of every country that plays football all around the world.”