FIFA accuses UEFA of 'misinformation campaign' over World Cup investment plan to derail Gianni Infantino's re-election campaign
Legal battle erupts over World Cup investment plan
FIFA has fiercely responded to UEFA's legal manoeuvres in the United States, filing counter-documents in a Florida district court. Last month, UEFA requested the disclosure of evidence regarding the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, threatening to lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino. UEFA alleged Infantino engaged in "criminal mismanagement" by promoting a heavily undervalued proposition for personal gain.
World football's governing body has rubbished those claims, accusing UEFA of waging a "misinformation campaign" as part of a targeted harassment strategy. FIFA's legal team insists that exploring the private investment project was a strict organisational duty, rather than a clandestine plot.
They further argued that the European governing body deliberately misunderstood the financial structuring of the FFE proposal. While UEFA claimed the venture was fraudulently undervalued at $20 billion, FIFA countered that its critics wrongfully confused equity value with the total enterprise value, which stood at more than $30bn.
FIFA fires back at valuation and ethics claims
In its court response, FIFA did not hold back, condemning UEFA's attempts to secure sensitive documents. They blasted the application for containing "numerous false or misleading statements about FIFA and Infantino".
"With no basis whatsoever, UEFA suggests that Mr Infantino sought to profit personally from the FFE proposal," FIFA stated in the filing, seen by Reuters. "UEFA's suggestions that Mr Infantino violated any law or ethical principle are categorically without merit."
Addressing the financial dispute directly, the global governing body accused their European counterparts of wilful ignorance. "UEFA, whether deliberately or through ignorance, conflates equity value with enterprise value," the filing added, insisting the proposal would have required comprehensive ratification from all 211 member associations.
They also urged the US court to recognise the political timing of the lawsuit. The documents declared: "Just before FIFA's election, UEFA filed this 1782 Application (and three others) spreading misinformation regarding Mr Infantino.
"This court should reject any attempt to influence FIFA's presidential election based on these grounds."
Political fallout from the collapsed investment project
The FFE initiative originally proposed selling lucrative stakes in the World Cup and other major tournaments to private investors. However, the sweeping project was scrapped in July following fierce opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation, all citing a severe lack of consultation.
This collapse triggered a massive leadership crisis. UEFA has openly lost confidence in Infantino, leading a vocal rebellion that ultimately sparked calls for his immediate resignation.
FIFA views the ongoing legal pressure as a calculated political attack rather than a genuine pursuit of justice. By branding the legal discovery requests as "farcically overbroad" and "in bad faith," Infantino's camp believes UEFA is desperately scrambling to destabilise his leadership ahead of the impending election cycle.
The looming deadline to challenge Infantino's reign
Infantino remains determined to secure a fourth term in office when the presidential elections take place in March 2027. His critics and political opponents face a looming deadline of November 18 to present a credible alternative candidate to challenge his heavily scrutinised reign.
To pacify the growing unrest, the Swiss administrator recently proposed an independent review of FIFA's internal decision-making processes. Whether this olive branch will ease tensions with UEFA - or simply pave the way for further courtroom battles - remains to be seen.
