FIFA accuses UEFA of ‘smear campaign’ against Infantino
FIFA has accused UEFA of waging a “smear campaign” against the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino, following the collapse of a controversial plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
The dispute intensified after UEFA last week filed legal documents in the United States seeking access to evidence and documents from FIFA as part of possible criminal proceedings in Switzerland.
UEFA has accused Infantino of “criminal mismanagement” and alleged that he promoted the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal at an artificially low valuation for his personal benefit. The plan, which has since been abandoned, involved creating a new FIFA commercial entity and bringing in private investment.
FIFA has now hit back through court filings in the US, seen by the BBC, asking the court to reject UEFA’s request before the end of September.
The global football governing body argued that UEFA’s application contained “fundamental” legal flaws, claiming the European body was seeking evidence for a foreign criminal case that does not currently exist and which UEFA allegedly has no authority to initiate.
FIFA also maintained that the FFE was only a proposal and could not have gone ahead without majority support from its member associations and the necessary approval from the FIFA Council.
Instead of taking part in what FIFA described as a democratic decision-making process, the organisation accused UEFA of launching a public campaign against Infantino and FIFA’s leadership.
FIFA further alleged that UEFA’s opposition to the proposal was driven by economic interests, claiming the European governing body wanted to prevent smaller football nations from gaining greater financial resources to compete with established European teams and leagues.
According to FIFA, increasing funding for smaller member associations would strengthen football in developing countries, encourage more players to represent their countries of origin and increase competition with UEFA’s major tournaments.
UEFA has declined to comment publicly on FIFA’s response. However, BBC Sport understands that some UEFA officials believe FIFA should have nothing to fear from releasing the requested documents and accelerating the legal process.
The dispute has also contributed to growing opposition to Infantino, with three confederations reportedly calling for him to step down.
UEFA has separately asked a New York court to compel testimony and the disclosure of documents from US venture capitalist Joshua Kushner and his company, Thrive Eternal. Kushner had been expected to become the main investor in the proposed FFE project.
Thrive had discussed a $4.2 billion investment for a 20% stake in a new FIFA commercial subsidiary with Infantino before the proposal was abandoned shortly after details emerged publicly in July and triggered widespread criticism.
FIFA had argued that the scheme could have increased funding for each national association during the 2027–2030 cycle from about £5.9 million to £14.7 million.
Kushner later expressed regret over his involvement, saying that although he still supported the motivations behind FFE, he had underestimated the political complexities of international football and the opposition the proposal would face.
UEFA has also sought documents from American financier Greg Maffei, who was involved as an adviser to the proposed deal.
Although UEFA does not expect Kushner or Maffei to be defendants in any potential legal proceedings, it claims the two men first discussed the FFE concept in July 2025. UEFA also alleges that Infantino had been discussing the idea with Kushner for almost a year before the final terms were agreed.
The European governing body further alleges that FIFA deliberately undervalued the World Cup at around £15 billion, arguing that the figure was not established through an open competitive auction or independently assessed by a valuation expert.
UEFA also claims that Infantino failed to properly consult FIFA’s leadership and governing structures before pursuing the investment plan.
Source: BBC
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