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FIFA vs UEFA escalation
FIFA accused UEFA of launching a "smear campaign against it and its leadership" as the dispute over Gianni Infantino’s scrapped World Cup investment plan escalated into U.S. court filings.
“preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino”
The conflict centers on UEFA’s threat to bring "criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino" over the aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which FIFA says was only a proposal and required the consent of the majority of FIFA’s member associations and "the relevant approvals" of the FIFA Council.
FIFA’s response asked a U.S. court to defer access to documents or oppose UEFA’s application entirely by the end of September, arguing UEFA’s filings were not a legitimate legal step.
UEFA, in turn, said it was considering criminal proceedings against Infantino and other FIFA officials in Switzerland and had filed cases in American courts seeking evidence tied to FFE.
FIFA’s filings also described UEFA’s approach as a "fundamental defect" because UEFA sought discovery for a foreign criminal proceeding that does not exist and that UEFA "admittedly lacks the authority to initiate."
Quotes and legal framing
In FIFA’s filings, the governing body said UEFA’s press release was "the beginning of a weeks-long smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership," while FIFA argued UEFA’s economic motivation was to prevent smaller countries from gaining the "financial strength to compete with the European elite."
The BBC reported that UEFA declined to comment, but said insiders believe that if FIFA has nothing to hide, it should disclose the documents and speed up the legal process.
Sky News reported that UEFA warned it was considering launching criminal proceedings against Infantino in Switzerland and had filed legal cases in American courts, while FIFA responded in a New York court calling UEFA’s effort "little more than press releases" supporting a smear campaign.
Sky News also reported that Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro called the World Cup subsidiary a "bad deal" for football when quitting the role in a statement to Sky News.
CNA reported that UEFA alleged FFE was developed without adequate consultation with FIFA’s governing bodies and 211 member associations, and that FIFA asked the court to defer ruling or allow it to oppose UEFA’s request.
Pressure on Infantino
The dispute is unfolding as Infantino faces political pressure tied to the FFE fallout, with CNA reporting that he is up for re-election for a fourth term in March 2027 and has been criticised since tabling the now-abandoned proposal.
“up for re-election for a fourth term in March 2027”
CNA said three confederations have discussed a potential vote of no confidence in Infantino, including UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, while Infantino retains support from the African and South American confederations.
UEFA provisionally suspended plans to boycott FIFA competitions, paving the way for all qualified teams to participate in next month’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, and CNA said UEFA mandated the confederation to pursue "every available institutional, political and legal avenue" to secure reforms.
FIFA’s filings, as described by the BBC, also argued that UEFA lacked authority to initiate criminal proceedings it threatened in Switzerland and that the creation of FFE was "only a proposal" requiring majority member association consent and "the relevant approvals" of the FIFA Council.
In the midst of the legal fight, Joshua Kushner told the BBC he expressed regret over FFE, saying: "While we stand behind the motivations of FFE, we failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football" and that "we would not have gotten involved."