UEFA reportedly threatened FIFA President Gianni Infantino with legal action over a controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), was abandoned by Infantino on Saturday following widespread opposition from the football community.
According to The Telegraph, UEFA sent a letter to Infantino on Friday expressing their consideration of "legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints" concerning the FFE plan. The letter also demanded that Infantino and FIFA take immediate steps to preserve all relevant documents and electronically stored information, warning that any destruction of materials could constitute spoliation of evidence.
UEFA also indicated that certain FIFA officials, including Infantino, Arsene Wenger, Mattias Grafstrom, and Kevin Lamour, must specifically preserve such materials in their possession.
The plan involved selling stakes in the World Cup to a group led by Josh Kushner, brother-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Greg Maffei, a Trump donor, and financial institutions JPMorgan and OpenEconomics were also reportedly involved.
On Saturday, Infantino announced the abandonment of the FFE project, stating that it had created divisions and was no longer in the best interest of its original objectives. He cited the need for unity and improvement in football, particularly in countries that require more support.
Infantino's U-turn came less than 24 hours after he attempted to clarify the plans and blamed the media for misinterpreting them. The abandonment of the FFE plan could impact Infantino's expected unopposed run for FIFA president in the upcoming elections. UEFA, with its 55 member nations, had previously led the opposition, threatening a World Cup boycott if the plans were not scrapped. The threshold for initiating a vote of no confidence against Infantino is 46 FIFA member associations.