European football’s governing body, UEFA, is preparing to pursue a criminal complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over a controversial plan involving the commercial rights to major FIFA tournaments.
UEFA has sought permission from a US federal court to obtain documents and testimony from FIFA-related entities in Florida. The information could be used to support a planned criminal complaint in Switzerland.
The dispute centres on the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which sought to place commercial rights for the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup into a new entity. UEFA has questioned the valuation, transparency and governance process surrounding the proposal.
UEFA alleges that the plan was developed by Infantino and a limited group of advisers without adequate consultation with FIFA’s governing bodies and other key football stakeholders.
The European body has also instructed Infantino and other FIFA officials to preserve documents and electronic communications connected to the proposed transaction.
The development represents a major escalation in tensions between UEFA and FIFA and adds to growing pressure on Infantino ahead of the next FIFA presidential election.
FIFA has not yet publicly commented on the latest legal development. Importantly, UEFA’s action concerns a planned criminal complaint, not a conviction or finding of criminal wrongdoing against Infantino.
