UEFA is preparing to pursue criminal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino over allegations of mismanagement surrounding a proposed deal to sell part of FIFA’s tournament rights.
The European governing body has already taken legal steps in the United States to obtain documents and information from FIFA and US investment company Thrive Capital as it builds its case.
According to The Guardian, UEFA and its partners are considering filing a criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials and advisers. The allegations would relate to criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code.
The dispute centres on a proposal under which FIFA would have sold a 20% stake in some of its commercial rights for $4.2bn.
UEFA’s legal filings question the valuation placed on those rights, describing the proposed $20bn overall valuation as an “absurdly low” figure. The European body argues that FIFA’s commercial value is actually more than $30bn, based on its financial performance and prevailing market conditions.
UEFA’s challenge represents a significant escalation in the dispute between the two most powerful governing bodies in world football.
To obtain information that could be used in potential proceedings outside the US, UEFA has submitted a “Section 1782” discovery request against Thrive Capital. The legal procedure allows foreign organisations to seek evidence from companies based in the United States for use in overseas legal cases.
The documents focus on how FIFA reached the proposed valuation and the process used to advance the planned sale.
According to UEFA’s claims, the deal was pursued without an open bidding process or an independent assessment of FIFA’s commercial rights. The organisation says this raises serious questions about how the proposed transaction was structured and approved.
The filings also compare the proposal with an earlier offer that was abandoned in 2018. A consortium led by SoftBank had proposed guaranteeing $25bn over 12 years in exchange for rights involving the Nations League and an expanded Club World Cup.
UEFA’s lawyers argue that the earlier proposal provides an important point of comparison when assessing the value of FIFA’s rights.
The European governing body has also accused Infantino of failing to involve the FIFA Council adequately when advancing the proposed transaction.
The legal documents claim that FIFA’s member associations were placed under pressure to approve the proposal and were offered a $40m financial incentive in return for their support. The project was eventually abandoned.
A 56-page filing submitted as part of the legal action also refers to FIFA’s history of corruption. UEFA’s lawyers went further by describing the proposed arrangement as a personal cash grab.
They allege that the plan could have allowed Infantino and members of an inner circle to benefit directly from FIFA’s most valuable commercial assets, rather than ensuring that the wider football community benefited from the deal.
The allegations have not been presented in the supplied article as findings against Infantino, but the planned Swiss proceedings would represent a major legal challenge to the FIFA president and potentially other officials and advisers.
UEFA’s decision to pursue access to documents in US courts while considering criminal proceedings in Switzerland signals a substantial increase in its opposition to the FIFA leadership.
The dispute also extends beyond the proposed commercial transaction, with UEFA’s actions pointing towards wider concerns about governance and decision-making at football’s global governing body.
With its legal strategy now advancing, UEFA is seeking evidence that could support its allegations and strengthen its challenge to the way FIFA’s commercial affairs were handled.
The move represents an unprecedented escalation in the confrontation between UEFA and FIFA, with the European body seeking both legal accountability and major changes to the leadership and governance of the global game.
