Even though the proposal was canceled, UEFA is still threatening to boycott FIFA competitions.

Relations between UEFA and FIFA show no signs of improving. The European football association UEFA has confirmed that the threat of boycotting FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, remains a valid option even after the plan to sell commercial stakes in the tournament was cancelled.

UEFA considers that merely scrapping the proposal is not enough to restore trust in the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The organisation is demanding that FIFA provide guarantees that no similar policies will be introduced in the future.

"For us, nothing has changed regarding the boycott threat. First, the proposal to sell stakes in major competitions must be fully revoked. Second, there must be guarantees that such initiatives which harm football will never be attempted again. These conditions have not yet been fulfilled," UEFA stated, as quoted by The Guardian.

UEFA had previously announced its loss of confidence in Gianni Infantino. The organisation also criticised the planned formation of FIFA Forward Enterprise, which was deemed non-transparent as it was developed without any open public process.

This entity was originally prepared to manage the sale of approximately 20% of the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors.

FIFA Admits Errors During Proposal Drafting

Amid widespread criticism from multiple parties, FIFA has finally acknowledged that mistakes were made in the process of preparing the proposal. The world football governing body has also issued an official apology to the FIFA Council as well as all of its member associations.

In its statement, FIFA recognised that the plan should have been handled using a different, proper approach.

This apology was issued after the proposal to sell around 20% of the World Cup commercial stakes - valued at an estimated 20 billion US Dollars - received widespread rejection across national football federations.

As a follow-up measure, FIFA decided to cancel the entire proposal.

UEFA Awaits Formal Guarantees From FIFA

Even though the commercial stake sale proposal has been withdrawn, UEFA has confirmed that this decision alone is not sufficient to end the ongoing tensions with FIFA.

The European football governing body has maintained its position, and will not alter its stance until FIFA meets all submitted demands, including formal guarantees that no similar policies will be proposed again in the future.