UEFA Files Criminal Charges Against FIFA President Infantino

UEFA is preparing to file criminal mismanagement claims in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, focusing on a collapsed multibillion-dollar investment proposal. The European football governing body has also filed discovery requests in U.S. federal courts to obtain testimony and documents from entities connected to the deal. While an immediate tournament boycott has been paused, UEFA confirmed plans to back a challenger in the upcoming FIFA leadership elections, escalating the power struggle between global football governing bodies into a severe legal confrontation. The potential lawsuit against Infantino centers on alleged criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code, following the recent collapse of the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan. Infantino had proposed transferring commercial rights tied to the World Cup and Club World Cup into a new subsidiary and selling a 20 percent stake to an investor group for $4.2 billion USD. UEFA and several member associations aggressively opposed this transaction. To build its case, UEFA submitted discovery applications in the United States. These filings allow foreign entities to request relevant documents and testimony from American corporations for overseas legal proceedings. The petitions target information from FIFA subsidiaries and Thrive Capital, whose founder Joshua Kushner was slated to be the lead investor for the controversial deal. UEFA attorneys described the aborted commercial strategy as a "stunning dereliction of duty" that bypassed standard governance processes. Court documents allege Infantino developed the initiative in secret with a tight circle of advisors, completely sidelining the official FIFA Council. Financial discrepancies form a core component of the impending Swiss lawsuit, with UEFA arguing that the $4.2 billion USD investment figure implied an "absurdly low" enterprise valuation for FIFA's commercial rights. The discovery requests in the U.S. aim to gather evidence regarding the valuation process and the specific terms negotiated with potential investors, including Thrive Capital. This legal action by UEFA represents a significant challenge to Infantino's leadership and highlights deep divisions within international football governance. The FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, if approved, would have fundamentally altered how FIFA's commercial assets were managed and monetized. UEFA's opposition stemmed from concerns about transparency, valuation, and the potential for conflicts of interest. The organization believes the deal was structured in a way that did not adequately represent the interests of its member associations. The filing of criminal charges and the pursuit of evidence in U.S. courts signal a prolonged and potentially damaging legal battle between UEFA and FIFA.