FIFA has accused UEFA of waging what it called a smear campaign against the governing body amid the European confederation's open opposition to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, according to court documents seen by AFP on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
FIFA's response came after UEFA asked judges in the United States to force football's world governing body to hand over documents about a failed plan to attract outside investors for the World Cup.
UEFA strongly rejected that project, which was presented in July, and went as far as threatening to boycott the tournament unless the initiative was withdrawn.
FIFA, football's Zurich-based governing body, quickly backed down and scrapped the plan after criticism from large parts of the football world. UEFA, the body that runs European football and organizes competitions such as the Champions League and the European Championship, was not satisfied and is now preparing possible legal action against Infantino over what it alleges is criminal mismanagement.
Documents sought from FIFA and Kushner's firm
Last week, UEFA filed requests in three US states seeking the disclosure of documents related to the investment plan, targeting both FIFA and its partners. Those partners include Thrive Capital, the firm led by Joshua Kushner, who had emerged as the leading candidate to invest in the scheme.
Joshua Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
UEFA has said that if it succeeds in obtaining the documents, it could file a formal complaint in Switzerland, where the case would meet the requirements to be heard in Swiss courts.
FIFA fights back in US courts
FIFA responded by asking the American judges for permission to challenge UEFA's requests.
In the filings made public on Thursday, FIFA argued that although UEFA's requests take the form of legal filings, complete with headers and case numbers, they are in substance little more than press releases designed to bolster UEFA's smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership.
FIFA's filings contend that UEFA has no right to demand its internal documents because no criminal proceeding is currently open against FIFA in Switzerland or anywhere else.
FIFA further argued that even if such a proceeding existed, UEFA would still lack standing to pursue the documents, since the confederation has not suffered any financial loss from the aborted plan.
Football's governing body also accused UEFA of unlawfully sidestepping the Swiss courts by taking its request directly to offices in the United States.
According to the documents, releasing the material, which includes correspondence from Infantino and other FIFA staff and advisers, would directly threaten FIFA's interests and expose sensitive, confidential information.
Infantino's re-election battle
UEFA has made no secret of its wish to see Infantino removed. The FIFA president had hoped to be re-elected unopposed to a fourth and final term next March, following what FIFA has described as a successful 2026 World Cup.
UEFA has been the fiercest critic of the abandoned investment plan, branding it a shady deal negotiated opaquely behind closed doors. It has also won firm backing from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Concacaf president Victor Montagliani is widely seen as the most likely challenger to Infantino for the FIFA presidency, after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin ruled out running himself.
The three confederations have kept up the pressure. In early August they sent a joint letter calling on FIFA to go back to functioning as an institution that serves football rather than as a tool of individual power.
