3 min readAug 3, 2026 06:42 PM IST
UEFA, the European football confederation, has threatened the sport’s global governing body FIFA with legal action after the latter’s president Gianni Infantino’s failed bid to sell stakes in profits from future World Cups to private investors, a deal from which he personally would’ve earned millions. Infantino’s secretive proposal to raise $4.2 billion from investors including the New York investment firm of Joshua Kushner, brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was dropped early Saturday, days after the revelation in media reports provoked a global furor.
The plan became public knowledge only after it was leaked in the media, provoking widespread backlash which ultimately led to UEFA saying that European countries will boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA events. FIFA announced shortly thereafter that it is withdrawing the plan and insisted that it never intended to sell the World Cup.
Now lawyers for UEFA have informed FIFA that the European body is “actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints … arising out of and in connection with the FFE (FIFA Forward Enterprise) plan proposed by FIFA and all related matters.” The letter dated Friday from the legal firm Dechert in New York was seen Monday by The Associated Press.
The letter named 18 FIFA executives who it said should retain data, documents and electronic messages as potential evidence. “UEFA puts you on formal notice that any destruction, deletion, alteration, concealment, or loss of relevant materials following receipt of this notice – or following any earlier date on which you were, or reasonably should have been, aware that proceedings were anticipated – may constitute spoliation of evidence,” the letter said.
On Saturday, UEFA signaled it wants to end Infantino’s decade-long presidency, saying he had lost the confidence of world soccer and that “no option should be off the table.” Hours earlier, Infantino withdrew the divisive proposal that offered FIFA’s 211 member federations one-off payments of $20 million each with a mid-September deadline to accept.
The FFE spin-off valued by FIFA at $20 billion would have taken control of the soccer body’s money-making commercial and tournament operations. The 211 members already effectively own the Zurich-based not-for-profit governing body.
It was the project of just one man, FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said in a stinging statement Friday to the AP which said staff felt deceived by their boss Infantino.
Legal proceedings are “reasonably anticipated,” UEFA’s lawyer Andrew J. Levander wrote, citing the belief of soccer stakeholders that the plan was “fundamentally incompatible with the proper governance of football.”
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While UEFA has been the most outspoken, Infantino has now been roundly criticised by the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, the North and Central American and Caribbean soccer body, also have made strong statements to oppose Infantino’s plan. Notably, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has maintained silence. Infantino has most support from his traditional base in Africa, while South America’s CONMEBOL is relying on him to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams from 48.
However, the failed private equity plan has resulted in a stunning collapse in Infantino’s fortunes. He had looked a lock-in to be re-elected as FIFA president for a fourth and final term through to 2031.
