FIFA has accused UEFA of orchestrating a "smear campaign" against its president, Gianni Infantino, and other officials, as a dispute over a proposed private investor plan for the World Cup escalates. The accusation comes after UEFA initiated legal proceedings in American courts to obtain documents related to FIFA's "FIFA Forward Enterprise" (FFE) initiative.
UEFA is seeking evidence through the U.S. court system concerning FFE, a private company envisioned to manage the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. FIFA confirmed in August that the plan involved selling a 20 percent stake in FFE to private investors. However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino withdrew the proposal on August 1 following opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF.
Despite the withdrawal, UEFA has continued its pursuit of information, stating that documents obtained are intended for potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland. FIFA, in turn, is seeking to oppose UEFA's discovery requests in the U.S. Southern District of Florida, a motion that received court approval on August 31. FIFA has until September 28 to formally contest the request in Florida.
A similar opposition motion has been filed in the Southern District of New York. FIFA's legal team has characterized UEFA's applications as "little more than press releases in further support of UEFA's smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership." The organization has requested that the New York court either defer its decision until the Florida court rules or grant FIFA permission to oppose the application by September 30.
According to FIFA's filings, UEFA's opposition to FFE and Infantino stems from a desire to "prevent smaller countries from having the financial strength to compete with the European elite." FIFA argues that strengthening soccer in developing nations increases global competition, potentially reducing UEFA's market power and offering more rivalry for its top tournaments. FIFA's filing suggests that by raising funds to support smaller FIFA member associations, FFE would enable more players from these nations to represent their home countries and play in their domestic leagues, thereby "erod[ing] UEFA's dominance over other regions of the world."
UEFA's own filings have accused Infantino of "criminal mismanagement" concerning FFE. The European body also alleged that the proposed sale of a stake for approximately $4.2 billion was "a fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit." Last week, UEFA called for an independent external review of FFE's origins and stated that if Infantino seeks re-election, UEFA and its partner confederations would work to offer member associations a "credible alternative" focused on integrity, accountability, development, and institutional change.