Driving UEFA's Revolt Against Infantino's Sell-Off: 2 Women

In a tense online meeting over Gianni Infantino's now-collapsed bid to sell a stake in FIFA's top competitions, it wasn't the usual power brokers who pushed hardest for a revolt. The Athletic reports that Laura McAllister of Wales and Norway's Lise Klaveness—the only two women on UEFA's 21-member executive committee—were, alongside UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, the loudest voices urging Europe's federations to take on FIFA, including backing a full boycott. Multiple unnamed sources tell reporter Megan Feringa that the pair were central to the resistance as UEFA framed the plan as "economic blackmail."

Feringa uses the episode to examine a bigger question: What happens when women with deep playing and professional experience finally gain real authority in football's most male-dominated rooms? She traces McAllister's and Klaveness' paths from international players to governance roles, their public challenges over Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Trump, and Gaza, and the backlash they've faced—set against the still-tiny number of women in senior football posts worldwide. To dig into how their stand may reshape the game's power structure, read the full piece at the Athletic.