UEFA Threatens FIFA With Legal Action Over Infantino’s World Cup Sell-Off Plan/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ UEFA is considering legal action over Gianni Infantino’s failed attempt to sell private investors a stake in FIFA’s World Cup commercial operations. Lawyers instructed 18 FIFA executives to preserve documents and electronic communications, while European federations began searching for a rival presidential candidate. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham joined calls for change, saying Infantino is not the right person to lead world soccer.
Quick Look
- UEFA is considering litigation, arbitration and regulatory complaints.
- Its lawyers sent FIFA a formal evidence-preservation notice.
- The letter named 18 FIFA executives, including Gianni Infantino.
- Other named officials included Thomas Peyer and Arsène Wenger.
- Infantino’s plan sought $4.2 billion from private investors.
- FIFA valued the proposed subsidiary at $20 billion.
- Private investors would have received a stake in future World Cup profits.
- Joshua Kushner’s New York investment firm was a proposed investor.
- The subsidiary would have controlled commercial and tournament operations through at least 2038.
- Each of FIFA’s 211 members was offered a one-time $20 million payment.
- UEFA’s 55 associations threatened to boycott FIFA competitions.
- Sweden confirmed UEFA is searching for an alternative presidential candidate.
- Wales withdrew its previous letter supporting Infantino.
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Infantino should not continue leading FIFA.
- Candidates have until Nov. 18 to enter the presidential race.
- The FIFA election is scheduled for March in Rabat, Morocco.
Deep Look
UEFA threatens legal proceedings against FIFA
NYON, Switzerland — UEFA has threatened FIFA with legal action over President Gianni Infantino’s abandoned proposal to sell private investors a stake in future World Cup profits.
The European soccer body is considering litigation, arbitration and complaints to regulators as it investigates how the plan was developed and who was involved.
UEFA’s attorneys also instructed FIFA officials to preserve documents, electronic messages and other information that could become evidence in future proceedings.
The action escalates a dispute that began with opposition to the financial proposal and has evolved into an effort to challenge Infantino’s continued leadership of world soccer.
Lawyers issue formal evidence-preservation notice
The letter was dated Friday and reviewed Monday by The Associated Press.
It named 18 FIFA executives who were instructed to retain data, documents and electronic communications to the proposal.
The officials included Infantino, FIFA Chief Financial Officer Thomas Peyer and Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal coach who serves as FIFA’s head of global soccer development.
UEFA warns against destruction of evidence
The legal notice warned FIFA officials that deleting or changing relevant records could have serious consequences.
Spoliation refers to the destruction, concealment or alteration of material that could be relevant to anticipated legal proceedings.
The warning indicates that UEFA believes the dispute could move beyond political criticism and into formal legal or regulatory action.
Infantino abandoned proposal after global backlash
Infantino withdrew the private equity plan early Saturday after days of escalating opposition.
Media reports revealed the proposal last Tuesday, provoking resistance from national soccer federations, continental governing bodies and senior FIFA employees.
UEFA led the backlash.
Its 55 member associations agreed Thursday to boycott all FIFA competitions while the proposal remained active.
The Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, which governs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also opposed the plan.
Proposal sought $4.2 billion from investors
The FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal sought to raise approximately $4.2 billion from private investors.
One potential investor was a New York firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
FIFA proposed transferring its major commercial and tournament operations to a new subsidiary valued at $20 billion.
Private investors would have acquired a 20% interest in the business.
The subsidiary would have controlled revenue-generating activities associated with FIFA’s top competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups.
Subsidiary would control operations through 2038
The proposed company would have managed FIFA’s commercial and tournament businesses through at least 2038.
That structure would have given private investors a long-term financial interest in competitions developed and owned collectively by FIFA’s national member federations.
FIFA argued that the arrangement could more than double the amount of development funding distributed to its members during that period.
Critics said the plan would surrender part of soccer’s most valuable asset to outside investors without adequate consultation or a clear financial justification.
FIFA members offered $20 million each
Infantino’s proposal offered each of FIFA’s 211 member associations a one-time payment of $20 million.
Federations were given a mid-September deadline to accept the offer.
The proposed payments created concern that FIFA was attempting to secure approval by offering immediate financial incentives before national associations had enough time to evaluate the long-term consequences.
The deadline and limited consultation contributed to complaints that the plan was being rushed through without proper governance.
UEFA says proposal violated proper governance
UEFA attorney Andrew J. Levander wrote that legal proceedings were “reasonably anticipated.”
He cited concerns among soccer stakeholders that the proposal was “fundamentally incompatible with the proper governance of football.”
UEFA is likely to examine whether FIFA officials followed the organization’s statutes, financial obligations and decision-making procedures while developing the project.
Potential proceedings could also focus on whether FIFA’s members received adequate information and whether officials had undisclosed conflicts of interest.
FIFA staff accused Infantino of deception
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour publicly criticized the proposal in a statement to the AP on Friday.
Lamour said FIFA employees felt deceived because Infantino had developed the project without sufficient transparency.
He described the proposal as the initiative of a single person rather than the result of a collective decision-making process.
The criticism from a senior FIFA executive strengthened UEFA’s argument that the plan reflected a wider governance failure.
It also placed pressure on other employees to disclose what they knew about the project.
UEFA searches for rival presidential candidate
The Swedish soccer federation confirmed Monday that UEFA is actively working “to come up with an alternative candidate” for FIFA president.
Infantino’s next election is scheduled for March.
Potential challengers must enter the contest by Nov. 18.
UEFA said Saturday that FIFA’s leadership had lost its confidence and warned that “no option should be off the table.”
The search for a candidate transforms the controversy from opposition to one commercial proposal into a coordinated attempt to end Infantino’s decade-long presidency.
British prime minister says Infantino should go
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham joined the criticism Sunday and said Infantino was not the appropriate person to lead FIFA.
Burnham’s comments added government-level pressure to the demands already coming from soccer federations and executives.
They also demonstrated that Infantino’s reversal did not end the controversy.
UEFA wants safeguards against another proposal
After Infantino abandoned the plan, UEFA said it would coordinate with other regional soccer bodies to prevent a similar initiative from reemerging.
Possible measures could include greater financial disclosure, stronger consultation requirements and additional checks on the FIFA president’s authority.
UEFA could also seek formal changes to FIFA’s statutes or governance structures.
The legal preservation letter indicates that the European body wants to identify how the project reached an advanced stage before determining what reforms or accountability measures are necessary.
CONCACAF says FIFA stopped putting soccer first
CONCACAF issued its own forceful criticism of FIFA’s leadership.
The regional body said officials had “stopped putting football first.”
CONCACAF’s opposition is politically significant because it represents 35 FIFA voting members and includes the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Its criticism, combined with UEFA’s 55 members and the Asian confederation’s 46 members, could provide a substantial electoral base for a challenger.
Continental bodies do not always vote as unified blocs, however, and Infantino retains support in other regions.
Infantino maintains support in Africa
Infantino’s strongest traditional support base is in Africa.
Morocco, one of his important allies, will host the next FIFA presidential election in Rabat.
The country will also co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Holding the election in an allied country could help Infantino, but UEFA’s effort to recruit a challenger creates uncertainty that did not exist before the private equity proposal became public.
Infantino was previously expected to win another term without opposition.
South America relies on Infantino for expanded World Cup
South American governing body CONMEBOL has not joined the opposition with the same intensity.
It is relying on Infantino to expand the 2030 World Cup from 48 teams to 64.
A larger tournament would create additional hosting opportunities for Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Paraguay is the home country of CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez.
That proposal gives South American federations a reason to continue supporting Infantino despite the World Cup equity controversy.
Report of Rubio call denied
A report Monday suggested that Infantino was seeking support from the Trump administration, potentially through a conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Infantino has cultivated a close relationship with Trump and has frequently visited the White House.
The State Department denied that a call with Rubio was planned.
The denial indicated that Infantino could not immediately rely on a public intervention from the U.S. government.
Infantino’s political position changes rapidly
Only two weeks earlier, Infantino left New York following the World Cup final appearing secure in his position.
He was widely expected to win a fourth and final presidential term without opposition and remain in office through 2031.
FIFA officials said during the World Cup that Infantino had obtained letters of support from approximately 200 of the organization’s 211 member federations.
Those commitments are now vulnerable as European associations reconsider their positions.
Wales became the first federation to announce publicly that it had withdrawn its support letter.
Proposed company could create future Infantino role
The commercial spinoff could have created a commissioner-style position for Infantino after his FIFA presidency ended in 2031.
Such a role potentially would have paid significantly more than his current compensation.
Infantino receives an annual salary and bonus package valued at approximately $6 million.
The possibility of a lucrative future role intensified questions about whether he could have benefited personally from the proposed corporate structure.
No finding of personal financial misconduct has been announced, but UEFA’s legal threat could lead to closer examination of the project’s proposed leadership and compensation arrangements.
Candidate deadline approaches
Candidates have until Nov. 18 to enter the FIFA presidential race.
The election is scheduled exactly four months later in Rabat.
Infantino is eligible for one more four-year term under FIFA’s statutes.
The limited window gives UEFA and allied federations only a few months to identify a credible candidate, secure international support and develop a campaign.
The candidate would need backing beyond Europe to defeat Infantino.
Infantino retains some public support
Infantino still has support from several national federations, including Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup.
His allies have praised his decision to withdraw the proposal in the interest of unity.
They argue that the project had potential merit even if it lacked enough support to proceed.
UEFA and its allies contend that withdrawing the proposal is insufficient because its development exposed deeper failures of transparency, consultation and leadership.
The threatened legal action, evidence-preservation demand and search for a presidential challenger show that the conflict is likely to continue well beyond the plan’s cancellation.
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