FIFA accuses UEFA of misinformation campaign against Infantino before election

FIFA has accused UEFA of orchestrating a misinformation campaign and attempting to influence the race for its presidency. The governing body of world football has urged a United States court to reject a discovery request linked to Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to move World Cup commercial rights into a new subsidiary.

• FIFA says UEFA's filing contains numerous false or misleading statements about Infantino.
• UEFA asked a Florida court for permission to collect testimony and documents for a planned Swiss criminal complaint.
• The scrapped plan valued FIFA Forward Enterprise at about $20bn in initial equity.
• FIFA claims the company's full enterprise value was well over $30bn and accuses UEFA of conflating valuation concepts.
• The dispute comes months before Infantino's re-election bid in March next year.

FIFA asks Florida court to block UEFA's discovery request

Last month, UEFA asked a US federal court for permission to obtain testimony and documents for use in a criminal complaint it is preparing in Switzerland against FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The request centers on a now-abandoned project that would have transferred World Cup commercial rights into a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise.

In its response filed on Monday, FIFA said UEFA's brief contained numerous false or misleading statements about the organization and its top official. The governing body insists there is no basis whatsoever to suggest Infantino sought to profit personally from the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.

What UEFA claimed about the secret World Cup rights plan

UEFA alleged that Infantino developed the proposal in secret with a small group of advisers and investors, bypassing FIFA's normal governance processes. According to the European confederation, the project was not consulted with the FIFA Council, regional confederations or member associations.

The request sought authorization to collect evidence from Fifa (Americas), Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc., two FIFA entities based in Florida. UEFA said in its filing that investors would have paid $4.2bn for a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise, valuing the business at around $20bn.

The dispute over the real value of FIFA Forward Enterprise

UEFA added that the valuation significantly undervalued FIFA's commercial rights and was not subjected to an open auction or tested by an independent valuer. FIFA responded that UEFA, whether deliberately or through ignorance, was conflating equity value with enterprise value.

It is undisputed that FFE's initial equity valuation was $20bn, but materials distributed to member associations show the company's total enterprise value was well over $30bn.

FIFA stressed that the enterprise value of FIFA Forward Enterprise was more than twice the equity value and therefore far above the figure UEFA considered fair. The project was abandoned in July following opposition from several confederations, including UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, over a lack of consultation.

Infantino proposes an independent review of decision-making processes

The controversy has fueled demands for changes to FIFA's governance. Last week, Infantino wrote to all 211 member associations proposing an independent review of the governing body's decision-making processes from its Zurich headquarters.

The Swiss administrator is up for re-election in March next year. FIFA maintains that UEFA's legal actions were filed precisely to influence that electoral process and to spread misinformation about its president.

What is at stake in FIFA's March presidential election

The legal battle comes at a delicate moment for world football. FIFA considers that UEFA's application before the Southern District of Florida, along with three similar requests, is part of a strategy to undermine Infantino just before the vote.

The exchange of accusations between the two institutions marks a new episode of tension between the two most powerful bodies in football. While UEFA prepares its complaint in Switzerland, FIFA is trying to halt the judicial progress in the United States and discredit the European confederation's arguments.

The US court's decision on the evidence request could determine whether UEFA obtains material to support its planned criminal complaint against the head of world football.

Frequently asked questions about the FIFA vs UEFA dispute