UEFA is preparing a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino for alleged disloyal management over a plan to commercialize competitions using private capital.
The European governing body plans to bring charges under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code regarding Infantino's proposal to create a commercial subsidiary named FIFA FORWARD ENTERPRISE (FFE), an initiative he later halted following intense opposition.
According to a 60-page legal document dated Thursday and obtained by news agency EFE, UEFA has petitioned a United States court in Florida for permission to access records related to the venture so they can be transferred to Swiss prosecutors.
Court filings and document requests in Florida
The petition asks the Florida court to order the disclosure of documents and communications from FIFA America and the 2026 World Cup organization concerning the origin, internal discussion, development, and public announcement of the FFE proposal.
UEFA is seeking internal FIFA records and communications with investment firms, including Thrive and BANN, as well as other investors and advisers, dating from the earliest discussions of the transaction up to the filing date.
The filing also requests all valuation studies performed for the proposal and records of internal governance approvals presented to the FIFA Council, the FIFA Congress, and the board of directors during a meeting on July 18.
Additionally, UEFA requested authorization to issue further subpoenas to any individuals or entities residing or located within the Southern District of Florida who may hold relevant evidence for the planned foreign proceedings.
Allegations of political ties and coercion
In its 60-page filing, UEFA asserted that Infantino sought to exploit FIFA institutions for personal benefit beyond governance and economics, including cultivating relationships with powerful political figures, such as the president of the United States, to advance personal and institutional interests.
UEFA stated in the document that FIFA does not require external capital, noting that the organization is not in financial distress seeking a bailout. The filing highlighted that FIFA's audited financial statements reported billions of dollars in liquid assets and reserves with zero debt.
The filing criticized Infantino for failing to seek consensus with regional confederations before his plan became public in the press. Following media reports, Infantino gave national associations a deadline of September 19 to submit their positions on the venture.
UEFA described that deadline as an ultimatum, calling the approach governance by intimidation rather than a democratic process. UEFA added that the coercion was unworthy of an organization tasked with overseeing global football.
Prior legal warnings and document preservation
UEFA previously issued a formal warning to FIFA on July 31, stating that it was actively considering legal action over the proposed creation of FFE and the introduction of private investors into competition management.
In that notice, UEFA demanded that Infantino and FIFA immediately preserve all physical and electronic documents related to the project and halt any document destruction, warning of legal consequences if records were destroyed.
The 20 billion dollar commercial plan
Infantino's proposed initiative involved creating FIFA FORWARD ENTERPRISE as a wholly owned subsidiary to manage FIFA's commercial rights and events, with an estimated valuation of 20 billion dollars.
Under the proposal, FIFA could have sold up to a 20 percent stake in the subsidiary to private equity investors.
Infantino projected that funding distributed through the FIFA Forward program would rise from 8 million dollars per national association in the 2023-2026 cycle to 20 million dollars per association for 2027-2030, totaling more than 4 billion dollars across all 211 member federations.
The proposal also outlined a new option called the FIFA Fast Forward Program (FFFP), which would allow each national association to access an additional 20 million dollars in funding during the 2027-2030 period, beyond their base allocation.
Governance and institutional context
UEFA is the governing body for European football, while FIFA serves as global football's governing authority. Because FIFA is headquartered in Zurich, Swiss criminal law applies to allegations of disloyal management brought against its officers.
