Uefa Files Criminal Complaint Against Gianni Infantino Over Fifa Project

Uefa is preparing to file a criminal complaint against Gianni Infantino over alleged “criminal mismanagement” linked to his failed Fifa Forward Enterprise project, in a move that drags the power struggle at the top of world football into a courtroom setting.

The European governing body has launched legal action in the United States to obtain documents tied to the plan’s conception, targeting Fifa and other parties for information. Those filings state that Uefa and other interested organisations are “preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possible other Fifa officials and advisors for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code”.

At the heart of the dispute lies Infantino’s proposal to sell 20% of Fifa’s future tournament revenues for $4.2bn. Court papers highlight what Uefa’s lawyers describe as an “absurdly low enterprise value of only approximately $20bn” implied by that deal, arguing it was “neither the product of an open, competitive auction, nor tested by any independent valuer”.

To prise open the files, Uefa has turned to a powerful US legal tool: a “section 1782” application. It allows a party involved in, or preparing for, foreign legal proceedings to seek discovery from individuals or entities based in the United States. Uefa is using it to demand internal records, correspondence and evaluations related to the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme.

The pressure has been building behind the scenes. Earlier this month, Uefa’s lawyers wrote to Infantino and Fifa ordering them to “take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or Fifa’s possession, custody, or control”. The letter named 14 executives and instructed them to “specifically preserve all such materials in their possession, custody, or control”, a clear signal that the governing body expects a full evidential trail to be available to investigators.

The legal manoeuvres mark a sharp escalation in the already fraught relationship between Uefa and Fifa, turning political tension into a direct challenge to Infantino’s conduct in office. Fifa was contacted for comment.