UEFA Takes Legal Action Against FIFA President Infantino Over Scrapped $4.2B Deal

European football governing body UEFA is pursuing criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Switzerland over a failed plan to bring private investors into some of FIFA’s biggest competitions.

UEFA has accused Infantino of “criminal mismanagement” connected to the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. The plan involved selling private investors a financial interest tied to competitions such as the men’s and women’s World Cups.

The FFE Plan That Ignited a Global Firestorm

Documents reviewed by BBC Sport show that UEFA has filed applications in several US courts, including in Florida, New York, and Colorado. UEFA hopes to gather evidence in the United States that can support its case in Switzerland. The legal action follows major opposition to Infantino’s FFE proposal from across international soccer.

Shortly after this summer’s World Cup, Infantino introduced FIFA Forward Enterprise. The plan was designed to sell commercial rights connected to some of FIFA’s biggest tournaments to private investors.

Those competitions included the men’s World Cup, women’s World Cup, and Club World Cup.

The proposal was announced on July 28, 2026. According to UEFA, Infantino did not first consult FIFA’s full council, UEFA, or FIFA’s 211 member associations.

UEFA claims Infantino and a small group of officials had worked on the proposal in secret for more than a year.

The deal reportedly valued FIFA’s commercial business at about $20 billion. However, UEFA argues that figure was far too low. Investors would have paid about $4.2 billion to gain a permanent financial interest.

UEFA also says no independent valuation was completed before the proposed deal. FIFA management was reportedly given only hours to approve the multibillion-dollar agreement.

US Courts at the Center of the Evidence Hunt

UEFA is now turning to US courts as it searches for evidence.

The organization filed an application in Florida seeking records from FIFA Americas and FWC2026. Both businesses are incorporated in the state.

UEFA also filed an application in New York targeting Thrive Capital, the investment company expected to take a stake in FFE, and its founder Josh Kushner. Investment bank J.P. Morgan is also named in the filing.

A third application was filed in Colorado involving Greg Maffei, the former Formula 1 executive and founder of Bann Ventures. Court documents describe Maffei as “the key commercial adviser” involved in the FFE transaction.

UEFA’s decision to use US courts to collect evidence for criminal proceedings in Switzerland makes the case more complicated. However, many of the people and businesses connected to the proposed deal have ties to the United States.

UEFA’s Allegations and the Broader Governance Crisis

UEFA has made several serious allegations against Infantino.

It claims the FIFA president pushed the FFE proposal through the organization’s approval process during a quickly arranged meeting.

UEFA also alleges that the proposed sale price was far below the actual value of FIFA’s commercial business and argues that the deal would have hurt FIFA’s 211 member associations, including UEFA’s 55 members.

The filing also points to FIFA’s history of corruption scandals. UEFA argues that outside pressure, including criminal investigations, has often been needed to hold FIFA officials accountable.

Swiss legal counsel has confirmed that UEFA has the legal standing to file a criminal complaint under Swiss law.

You can find odds at BetUS on whether Infantino will leave FIFA by the end of the calendar year.

What’s Next

Infantino is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president in March, but he is facing growing opposition.

UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation have jointly accused Infantino of breaking their trust “through deception.” All four UK home nations have also withdrawn their support.

However, Infantino continues to receive backing from South American governing body CONMEBOL and African confederation CAF.

The Swiss criminal proceedings could now become one of the biggest legal challenges Infantino has faced during his time as FIFA president.

Following a meeting in Monaco on Monday, UEFA has been given a clear mandate to continue using available legal and political options as it pushes for changes to FIFA’s governance structure.