UEFA asks US court for FIFA documents in planned Swiss case against Infantino

UEFA alleged that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had secretly developed a proposal to transfer FIFA’s commercial rights to a new subsidiary with a small group of advisers and investors.

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MANCHESTER: UEFA has asked a US federal court for permission to obtain testimony and documents from FIFA entities in Florida for use in a planned criminal complaint in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, according to a court filing.

In an ex parte application filed under US law, European soccer's governing body said it is considering criminal proceedings against Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials and advisers over a now-abandoned plan to transfer commercial rights linked to men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup into a new subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

UEFA alleges Infantino developed the proposal in secret with a small group of advisers and investors, bypassing FIFA's normal governance processes and failing to consult FIFA's Council, regional confederations or member associations.

The filing asks a US court to authorise discovery from FIFA (AMERICAS), Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc., two Florida-based FIFA entities. UEFA said the organisations may possess documents and witnesses relevant to how the FFE transaction was conceived, structured, valued and approved.

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Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.

UEFA said it and other interested parties were preparing claims in Switzerland against Infantino for alleged criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code.

The filing alleges that Infantino and a small group of advisers and investors developed the plan for more than a year without consulting FIFA's Council, regional confederations or the 211 member associations before it was unveiled on Jul 28.

UEFA said FIFA statutes give the Council sole authority to decide how FIFA's commercial rights are promoted.

According to the filing, Infantino designated Thrive Eternal, an investment vehicle controlled by Joshua Kushner and affiliated with Thrive Capital, to lead an investor group.

UEFA alleges that the investors stood to acquire a permanent financial interest in FIFA's commercial arm.

Former Liberty Media Chief Executive Greg Maffei was retained as a key commercial adviser on the transaction, UEFA alleges.

FIFA COMMERCIAL RIGHTS UNDERVALUED SAYS UEFA

UEFA said investors would have paid US$4.2 billion for a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise, valuing the business at about US$20 billion.

UEFA said the valuation significantly undervalued FIFA's commercial rights and alleges it was not subjected to an open auction or tested by an independent valuation.

The filing said the proposal quickly met resistance across world football.

UEFA said its 55 member associations unanimously agreed at an emergency meeting on Jul 30 that they would not participate in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, unless the plan was withdrawn. It said the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF later joined that position.

UEFA also pointed to the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser on global strategy and governance and a former president of US Soccer.

According to the filing, Cordeiro quit on Jul 31, describing the proposal as "a bad deal for FIFA's member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."

FIFA abandoned the proposal on Aug 1 but UEFA said questions remained about how it had been conceived and advanced.

It said FIFA staff complained internally that they had been "deceived" and that FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom was reported to have been excluded from drafting the proposal.

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