Uefa Takes Legal Action Against Fifa President Infantino
Uefa says the Fifa president planned to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors.
Uefa is European football's leader. Fifa is world football's leader.
Gianni Infantino is the president of Fifa. Uefa wants legal action against him.
This summer, Infantino made a plan. Fifa would sell parts of the World Cup to private investors.
Many people were angry. So Infantino stopped the plan.
Uefa says the plan was bad and not honest. It wants a case in Switzerland.
First, Uefa asked a court in Florida for documents.
Fifa and Uefa did not speak to the BBC about this.
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Uefa Starts Criminal Action Against Fifa President Gianni Infantino
European football's governing body accuses Gianni Infantino of "criminal mismanagement" over a scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Uefa, the organisation for European football, is pursuing criminal legal action against Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Shortly after this summer's World Cup, Infantino proposed a new company called Fifa Forward Enterprise. The company would have sold stakes in Fifa's competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. The plan was scrapped after a lot of criticism.
Uefa accuses Infantino of "criminal mismanagement". It says he created the plan to make money for himself and for the investors, and that the price of $4.2bn was far too low.
Uefa says the plan was made in secret, because Infantino did not ask the Fifa Council, Uefa or the 211 Fifa member associations before he announced it on 28 July 2026. Uefa has 55 member nations.
Uefa has asked a court in Florida for documents from two Fifa businesses there. It wants to use them later in a criminal case in Switzerland, where Fifa has its headquarters in Zurich. Infantino is seeking a fourth term as Fifa president in March. BBC Sport has approached Uefa and Fifa for comment.
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Uefa Pursues Criminal Case Against Fifa President Infantino in Switzerland
Documents seen by BBC Sport show European football's governing body has applied to a Florida court for evidence to use in Switzerland.
Uefa is pursuing criminal legal proceedings against Fifa president Gianni Infantino over the now scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors.
Documents seen by BBC Sport show that European football's governing body has applied to a court in Florida for access to files held by two Fifa businesses, Fifa Americas and FWC2026, which are based in the state. The evidence would be used in proceedings in Switzerland, where Fifa has its headquarters in Zurich. Uefa accuses Infantino of "criminal mismanagement".
Shortly after this summer's World Cup, Infantino proposed a new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise, which would have sold stakes in Fifa's competitions to private investors. The plan was scrapped after widespread backlash. In its application, Uefa claims the plan was designed so that Infantino and the investors could enrich themselves, and that the value of the stakes was never checked by an independent valuer. Investors would have paid $4.2bn, "implying an absurdly low enterprise value of only approximately $20bn", the application says.
Uefa says the announcement on 28 July 2026 was made without consulting the Fifa Council, the confederations or any of Fifa's 211 member associations, and that the scheme had been developed in secret for more than a year. It adds that Uefa and other interested parties may also bring claims against other Fifa officials and advisors.
Infantino, who is seeking a fourth term as president in March, has faced calls to step down. Uefa says it has lost confidence in him, and its members voted to boycott World Cups unless the plan was dropped. He keeps the support of Conmebol and Caf. BBC Sport has approached Uefa and Fifa for comment.
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