Just a day after UEFA reportedly agreed to remove their threat of boycotting FIFA tournaments, European football’s governing body has launched a new wave of pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign.
UEFA has asked a US federal court for permission to obtain testimony and documents about the creation of the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) subsidiary. FFE was Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights linked to men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup.
“UEFA and its counsel are contemplating a Swiss criminal proceeding against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code,” UEFA’s lawyers said in a 56-page document cited by several news agencies.
The association, which has been pushing against Infantino staying in power since early August, states that Infantino’s development of FFE was not compliant with FIFA’s usual governing processes and without consultation with the FIFA Council.
FIFA has not yet responded to UEFA’s legal advance.
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What do we know about the UEFA complaint against Infantino?
UEFA alleges that Infantino developed his infamous FIFA Forward Enterprise plan in secret with a small group of advisers and investors, bypassing FIFA’s normal governance processes.
The European association also alleges that the valuation included in the plan significantly undervalued FIFA’s commercial rights, arguing it was not subjected to an open auction or tested by an independent valuation.
UEFA is seeking access to a list of documents pertaining to the background of the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan. These include a meeting held in a New York City hotel on the eve of the World Cup final last month, where several senior FIFA directors were reportedly apprised of the plan.
The New York Times reported that two of the five directors attending refused to endorse the plan, including chief operating officer Kevin Lamour who has since left FIFA.
“Specifically, UEFA seeks documents and communications from FIFA Americas and from FWC2026 concerning…..the governance and internal approval process for the FFE proposal, including all materials presented to the FIFA Council, FIFA Congress, FIFA Bureau, or FIFA Management Board,” the document read.
If it successfully obtains the documents, UEFA’s plan is then to submit them as part of a complaint it wishes to lodge in Switzerland, where both the European football association and FIFA are based.
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“Swiss counsel has confirmed, on the factual record described in this application, that the proceeding is within reasonable contemplation for purposes of Swiss law,” it said. “On information and belief, Infantino’s actions described herein rise to the level of criminal mismanagement.”
Edited by: Rana Taha
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