UEFA Targets FIFA, Infantino

UEFA has launched criminal proceedings against FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, over a controversial and now-abandoned plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.

The European football governing body is challenging the proposed creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new commercial entity that would have handled major FIFA revenue streams, including future World Cup-related commercial assets.

The plan, which attracted strong opposition from several football stakeholders, involved selling a significant stake in FIFA’s commercial operations to private investors, with reports indicating that US investment firm Thrive Capital was linked to a proposed $4.2 billion deal.

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UEFA has alleged that the proposal lacked transparency, bypassed established governance procedures and could have undervalued FIFA’s commercial assets, claims that FIFA and Infantino have not accepted.

According to legal documents filed in the United States as part of UEFA’s evidence-gathering efforts, the European body is seeking access to documents and information connected to the proposed deal before pursuing further legal action in Switzerland, where FIFA is headquartered.

UEFA’s complaint centres on accusations of possible “criminal mismanagement” linked to the handling of the failed commercial rights arrangement, with the organisation arguing that the process was not subjected to sufficient independent valuation or competitive review.

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The controversy deepened after UEFA and some European football associations raised concerns over the direction of FIFA’s leadership, with some officials demanding stronger accountability measures and reforms within the global football body.

Infantino’s proposed FFE project was withdrawn after widespread criticism, but UEFA maintained that the cancellation of the plan did not remove the need for investigations into how the proposal was developed and presented.

FIFA has defended its leadership and previous initiatives, maintaining that its commercial strategies are designed to increase funding for football development programmes across member associations worldwide.

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The dispute comes at a sensitive period for Infantino, who is expected to face renewed scrutiny ahead of the next FIFA presidential election, as UEFA continues to push for greater transparency and governance reforms within the organization.

The legal battle represents the latest major challenge to FIFA’s leadership structure and can further intensify tensions between UEFA and the world football governing body over control, finances and the future direction of international football.

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