Gianni Infantino attended the opening of the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Katowice on Saturday while facing continued pressure over his leadership and the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
The tournament runs from September 5 to 27 across four Polish cities. All 24 qualified teams, including six from Europe, are taking part after UEFA provisionally suspended its threat to withdraw European nations from FIFA competitions.
Asked about the political dispute, Infantino declined to engage in detail. He said the focus in Poland should be on the players and the tournament, describing the competition as an opportunity to expand participation and create pathways for young talent.
> “It’s not today, it’s not here, but here and today, we are enjoying football,” Infantino told Sky News.
The tournament is the first major FIFA event since Infantino abandoned the controversial Forward Enterprise plan. The proposal involved creating a new commercial subsidiary linked to FIFA’s major competitions and selling a 20 percent stake to private investors for approximately $4.2 billion. The company was reportedly valued at about $20 billion.
UEFA and other confederations opposed the plan, arguing that FIFA had not provided adequate transparency and that the proposal could effectively sell long-term interests in World Cup revenues. UEFA members threatened to boycott FIFA competitions unless the scheme was permanently withdrawn.
FIFA dropped the proposal at the end of July. UEFA subsequently received written assurances that the Forward Enterprise project had been “irrevocably and permanently withdrawn” and would not return under another name or structure. Those guarantees led UEFA to suspend its boycott threat for the 2026–27 season.
The immediate sporting crisis has therefore been avoided, but the political dispute continues. UEFA has begun legal action in New York involving FIFA, Infantino and Thrive Capital, the investment group linked to the proposed transaction. UEFA’s filings accuse Infantino of mishandling the process and seek evidence connected to the abandoned plan.
Those allegations have not resulted in a finding of criminal wrongdoing against Infantino. The legal process remains ongoing, and any claims would need to be established through the appropriate courts.
UEFA has also made clear that ending the boycott threat does not mean it has restored confidence in FIFA’s leadership. The European body continues to consider measures aimed directly at Infantino, while national associations have increasingly called for changes to FIFA’s governance.
The FIFA presidential election is scheduled to take place in March 2027 in Morocco. Infantino, who became president in 2016 and has since been re-elected unopposed, has confirmed that he intends to seek another term.
For the players in Poland, the tournament offers an opportunity to compete on an international stage without becoming defined by the dispute surrounding FIFA’s administration. For Infantino, however, the event represents a difficult return to public view.
The boycott has been suspended and the tournament is proceeding with a full field, but the underlying conflict with UEFA remains unresolved. FIFA must now rebuild trust with European leaders while defending its governance and commercial strategy ahead of the 2027 election.
