UEFA is laying the groundwork for criminal legal action against FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Switzerland, escalating a bitter dispute over his now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.
Documents reviewed by the BBC show that European football's governing body has filed an application seeking access to evidence and records that could be used in future Swiss criminal proceedings against Infantino, whom UEFA accuses of "criminal mismanagement." The organisation says it may also pursue action against other FIFA officials involved in the scheme.
The controversy stems from a proposal Infantino unveiled shortly after this summer's World Cup to establish a new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would have sold off stakes in FIFA's flagship tournaments — including the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup — to outside investors. The plan collapsed on August 1 following fierce opposition from within the game.
According to UEFA's filing, the arrangement was pushed through in secrecy by Infantino and a small inner circle, bypassing FIFA's Council, UEFA, other confederations and its 211 member associations entirely. The document alleges the plan was rushed through internal approval at a hastily arranged meeting, with some FIFA staff given only hours to sign off despite never having heard of the proposal before.
UEFA further alleges the assets were undervalued in a deal it describes as struck at "a fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit." Under the terms as announced, investors would have gained a permanent financial stake in FIFA's commercial arm for $4.2 billion — implying, UEFA says, an enterprise value of only around $20 billion that was never independently verified or put through a competitive process.
As part of its legal strategy, UEFA has filed applications in US courts. One, lodged in Florida, seeks documents from FIFA-linked businesses FIFA Americas and FWC2026 for eventual use in the Swiss criminal case. Another, filed in New York in a 56-page submission on Thursday, targets FIFA, Infantino and Thrive Capital — the venture capital firm expected to lead the proposed investment. Thrive is run by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. A third application has been made in Colorado concerning former Formula 1 executive Greg Maffei, described in the filings as a key adviser on the deal, along with his firm Bann Ventures.
UEFA insists Swiss legal counsel has confirmed the organisation has standing to file a criminal complaint against Infantino for mismanagement, and that such proceedings are within reasonable contemplation under Swiss law. It also accuses FIFA of a broader pattern of poor governance, stating that meaningful accountability at the organisation has historically come only through outside pressure rather than internal checks.
Senior figures from UEFA and European football discussed Infantino's position at a meeting in Monaco ahead of the Champions League draw. In a statement, UEFA said those present had unanimously agreed to pursue "every available institutional, political and legal avenue" to secure reform and restore limits on presidential power at FIFA.
The news follows UEFA's confirmation on Thursday that it was dropping its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments after receiving assurances that no similar private investment scheme would be revived — one of two conditions UEFA had set, alongside the scrapping of the original FFE plan.
Infantino, who reportedly offered FIFA's member federations $40 million each in return for backing the FFE proposal, faces continued pressure ahead of his bid for a fourth term as FIFA president in March. He has lost the backing of UEFA, Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation and all four British home nations, though he retains support from South America's Conmebol and Africa's CAF.
BBC Sport said it had approached both Infantino and FIFA for comment.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport and the Standard.