FIFA Averts ‘Institutional Crisis’ by Delaying Major Vote

KIGALI, Rwanda — Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, backed down on Friday from plans to hold a vote on the creation of two new competitions that would have meant profound changes for global soccer, after being told that they would lead to an “institutional crisis” for the sport.

The last-minute about-face came after European members of FIFA’s governing council threatened to take the dramatic step of walking out if Infantino forced a vote on the creation of a World Cup for clubs and a global league for national teams.

Instead, the governing council pushed the decision down the road, approving the creation of a task force to evaluate the proposals, which hold the potential to…