Uefa has lost confidence in Fifa's leadership under president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of failing to deliver on promises made during his 2016 campaign.
Uefa welcomed the decision to withdraw the proposal to sell stakes in Fifa's competitions to private investors, describing it as "a victory for the whole game". However, the governing body's statement also expressed its disappointment and frustration with Infantino's leadership, quoting a speech he gave when campaigning to become Fifa president in 2016.
When Infantino asked for the trust and the votes of Fifa's member associations to elect him as their president, he said: "Of course we have to be transparent." He also told stakeholders: "The money of Fifa is your money. It's not the money of the Fifa president. You are the national associations and the money of Fifa has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else."
But Uefa claims Infantino has failed to deliver on these promises, describing the shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched as "anything but transparent".
The fallout from the scrapped proposal has put Infantino under immense pressure as he seeks re-election for a fourth term as president at the Fifa Congress in March.
Uefa's statement also accused Infantino of "failing to use associations' money for the benefit of the game". The governing body called for the identification and accountability of those responsible for the plan, and vowed to devise a new plan with its associations and in close co-operation with other confederations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Uefa also welcomed the Fifa Forward programme, which aims to distribute resources to grassroots and the wider game. However, the governing body stressed that it would not require the sale of stakes in Fifa's competitions to achieve this goal.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has stood in "solidarity" with Uefa and Concacaf, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also expressed his support for Uefa's stance, saying Infantino was "the wrong man" to lead Fifa.
Fifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has admitted that the governing body's own administration had been "deceived" about the project. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned over the matter, calling the proposal "a bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future".
Fifa has yet to respond to Uefa's statement, but the governing body's criticism is likely to put Infantino's re-election bid in jeopardy. The next few weeks will be crucial in determining Infantino's fate as Fifa president.
Source: Yahoo Sports