FIFA has accused UEFA of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against president Gianni Infantino as the increasingly bitter battle over the abandoned attempt to attract billions of dollars of private investment into World Cup commercial rights moves into the US courts.
European football’s governing body has filed applications in American courts seeking documents and testimony relating to the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). UEFA says the evidence could be used in potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland against Infantino and other FIFA officials.
FIFA has now hit back through its own filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, challenging UEFA’s attempt to obtain the material and questioning the legal basis for the application.
“While these applications are styled as legal pleadings with captions and docket numbers, they are little more than press releases in further support of UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership,” FIFA said.
FIFA challenges threat of criminal proceedings
UEFA has said it is considering criminal proceedings in Switzerland over the handling of FFE, the proposed entity that would have held commercial rights linked to FIFA competitions including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
However, FIFA’s lawyers argue that UEFA is seeking evidence for proceedings that have not actually been launched.
“UEFA’s application suffers from a fundamental defect: UEFA seeks discovery in aid of a foreign criminal proceeding that does not exist and that UEFA admittedly lacks the authority to initiate,” FIFA’s filing states.
A motion to intervene was filed on September 1 by FIFA (AMERICAS) Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc., asking the court either to delay a ruling on UEFA’s application or allow FIFA to formally oppose it.
UEFA’s legal action relates to potential allegations of criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code. No criminal charges have been brought against Infantino.
The controversial $20bn World Cup plan
At the centre of the dispute is FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have brought together commercial rights including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing.
The proposal envisaged a business valued at around $20bn, with FIFA potentially raising up to $4.2bn from outside investors by selling a minority stake. FIFA said the plan could unlock billions of dollars in additional development funding for its 211 member associations.
But the proposal triggered fierce opposition.
UEFA questioned both the governance of the project and its proposed valuation. Its US court filings argued that a valuation exceeding $30bn could be supported and questioned why the proposed investment had not been tested through an open auction or independent valuation.
Carlos Cordeiro, a senior Infantino adviser who quit amid the controversy, described the proposed transaction as a “bad deal” for football in comments to Sky News.
The FFE proposal was ultimately withdrawn on July 31 following opposition from UEFA and other regional confederations.
FIFA’s latest filing insists the venture remained only a proposal and would have required approval from member associations and the FIFA Council.
FIFA claims UEFA is protecting European power
FIFA has gone further by arguing that UEFA’s opposition is driven partly by economic self-interest.
Its filing claims UEFA wanted to prevent smaller football nations from gaining the financial strength required to challenge Europe’s dominance.
“UEFA’s economic motivation was to prevent smaller countries from having the financial strength to compete with the European elite,” FIFA said.
FIFA argues that greater investment in developing football nations could strengthen domestic leagues and national teams, increasing global competition and potentially reducing UEFA’s commercial dominance.
UEFA sees the matter very differently.
Sky Sports News reports that the view within UEFA is essentially that, if FIFA has nothing to conceal, it should disclose the documents being sought. UEFA believes disclosure of the FFE material could also shorten the legal process.
Pressure mounts on Infantino ahead of election
The legal confrontation comes amid growing political pressure on Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027.
Reuters reports that UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF have all put pressure on Infantino to step down, while discussions have taken place about a potential vote of no confidence.
UEFA has also indicated that if Infantino seeks another term, it intends to work with other confederations to ensure he faces a credible challenger.
Infantino retains important support, however, particularly among African and South American football authorities.
What began as a dispute over how FIFA should commercialise its most valuable competitions has therefore developed into something much larger: a legal and political battle over Infantino’s leadership and the future balance of power within world football.
