FIFA has accused UEFA of waging a "smear campaign" against president Gianni Infantino, in a sharp escalation of the ongoing dispute between football's two governing bodies over the collapsed plan to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights to private investors.
The clash stems from legal action UEFA has pursued in US courts, seeking access to documents relating to the shelved FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, which had aimed to secure as much as $4.2 billion in investment tied to World Cup rights. UEFA has gone further still, alleging "criminal mismanagement" on Infantino's part and describing the pricing of the venture as fraudulently undervalued for his own benefit, while warning it may pursue criminal proceedings against him in Switzerland, where FIFA is headquartered.
FIFA responded with its own court filing in New York, arguing that UEFA's legal push "suffers from a fundamental defect" and contains legal deficiencies. Its lawyers contended that UEFA is seeking evidence in support of a criminal proceeding that doesn't currently exist, one UEFA itself lacks the authority to initiate. FIFA maintained that the FFE scheme was only ever a proposal, one that would have required backing from the majority of member associations and formal approval from the FIFA Council before proceeding.
Rather than allow that process to play out, FIFA argued, UEFA instead issued a press release that marked the start of what it called a weeks-long smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership. FIFA went further in its filing, suggesting UEFA's underlying motivation was economic self-interest, aimed at preventing smaller footballing nations from building the financial strength to compete with Europe's elite clubs and competitions. It argued that if football in the developing world were strengthened, global competition would increase, which would ultimately reduce UEFA's own market power and create more competition for its flagship tournaments.
The dispute forms part of a broader standoff, with UEFA actively working to remove Infantino from office, either through resignation or by defeating him at March's FIFA presidential election. FIFA, for its part, has accused critics more broadly of trying to undermine both the organization and its president without following due process, describing the pushback as part of a coordinated effort to weaken Infantino's authority. The escalating legal and rhetorical battle has only intensified calls from several confederations for Infantino to step aside, leaving his presidency under mounting pressure as the March vote approaches.
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