FOOTBALL'S CIVIL WAR: UEFA declare loss of confidence in FIFA chief Infantino despite World Cup sale plot U-turn in bombshell new statement

UEFA have declared a loss of confidence in beleaguered FIFA president Gianni Infantino after his World Cup sale scandal.

Infantino confirmed the plot to sell-off a share in the tournament to private investors this week, only to perform a dramatic u-turn after considerable backlash.

UEFA threatened a wide-ranging boycott of any FIFA tournaments, while fellow federations such as CONCACAF and AFC also publicised their opposition to the plan. One of Infantino’s closest advisors, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned from his post, while FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour slammed the plan.

Things have now grown even worse for the FIFA president, with European football's governing body remaining furious and demanding he be removed from office.

A statement from UEFA read: "We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.

"It is right that, in the coming days and weeks, UEFA will work with its associations and in close cooperation with other confederations to reflect on how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again. That review should be thorough and fundamental. No option should be off the table. The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.

"When Gianni Infantino asked for the trust and the votes of FIFA's Member Associations to elect him as their President in 2016, he said, 'Of course we have to be transparent. I have been this in the last 15 years of my life in UEFA. You will have to play a part every day in the life of FIFA,' before telling the assembled stakeholders, 'The money of FIFA is your money. It's not the money of the FIFA President. It's your money. You are the national associations and the money of FIFA has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.'

"On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent."

Infantino, 56, has been president of FIFA since February 2016, having replaced Sepp Blatter. He previously worked at UEFA, having been at the corporation since 2000. He claimed the role as Secretary General in 2009 before receiving the backing of the UEFA Executive Committee to stand for the position of FIFA President in 2015.

UEFA's bombshell statement comes less than 12 hours after FIFA confirmed that they had completed a u-turn and scrapped their plan.

A statement in the early hours of Saturday morning read: “The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed.

“And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.

“Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.

“Our purpose has always been - and will always be - to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.

“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.”