Play store
European football’s governing body UEFA is preparing to file a criminal complaint in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over a controversial plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights of FIFA tournaments to private investors, according to court documents.
The legal move centres on the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, under which around 20% of the commercial rights to FIFA’s men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup were reportedly to be transferred to a new subsidiary.
The proposed deal involved private investment of about $4.2 billion.
UEFA lawyers have described the matter as potentially involving “criminal mismanagement” under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code.
They allege that the plan was developed secretly, without adequate consultation with FIFA’s governing bodies, and that the proposed valuation of the commercial assets was not properly tested through an independent or competitive process.
To gather evidence for a potential Swiss case, UEFA has applied to US courts for access to documents and testimony from FIFA’s US-based entities and financial institutions involved in the proposed transaction. UEFA is also seeking information from Thrive Capital, the investment firm linked to Joshua Kushner, which was expected to play a leading role in the deal.
The proposal triggered strong opposition from football authorities around the world. UEFA and other confederations had threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if the plan went ahead.
FIFA eventually abandoned the initiative on August 1 following widespread criticism.
Despite the withdrawal, UEFA says questions remain over the way the project was structured, valued and promoted. The planned legal action marks a major escalation in the ongoing dispute between UEFA and FIFA leadership.
Neither FIFA nor Thrive Capital has publicly commented on the latest legal action, according to reports.
