The international football governing body FIFA has accused UEFA of orchestrating a “smear campaign” and a “fishing expedition” against its leadership. This escalation follows a bitter dispute over FIFA’s now-abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights for the FIFA World Cup.
The conflict intensified after UEFA submitted an ex parte application to the US District Court in New York. The request sought to compel testimony and document production from US-based entities, which UEFA intends to use in potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland, the headquarters location for both organizations.
In a filing with the US District Court in Colorado on Thursday, FIFA characterized these applications as mere press releases designed to bolster UEFA’s campaign against it and President Gianni Infantino. FIFA’s motion sought to intervene and requested that the discovery process be either postponed or dismissed.
UEFA’s opposition centers on the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a vehicle designed to link World Cup commercial rights to investors. The European confederation argued that the FFE was developed without sufficient consultation with FIFA’s 211 member associations or its own governing bodies. UEFA had previously threatened to boycott both the men’s and women’s tournaments if the plan proceeded.
FIFA contends that UEFA is attempting to sabotage the proposal to preserve existing power dynamics favoring European football. However, the fallout from the FFE plans has created significant political pressure on Infantino. Several nations have announced they will not support his bid for a fourth term as president in March 2027.
Beyond UEFA, both CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have called for Infantino’s resignation, leaving him with support only from South American and African confederations. UEFA has also demanded an independent external review of how the FFE proposal was handled, stating that FIFA cannot investigate itself and expect acceptance of its conclusions.
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