FIFA accused UEFA of waging a misinformation campaign and attempting to influence the upcoming presidential election, as world football’s governing body urged a United States court to reject a discovery request linked to a controversial investment proposal. The legal battle centers on an abandoned plan by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to transfer World Cup commercial rights into a separate subsidiary named Fifa Forward Enterprise.
US Court Filing Targets UEFA Discovery Request
The dispute stems from a legal filing submitted last month by UEFA to a US federal court in the Southern District of Florida. UEFA requested permission to obtain testimony and documents for use in a planned criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino. The filing asked the court to authorize discovery from two Florida-based entities: FIFA (Americas), Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc. According to UEFA, Infantino developed the commercial proposal in secret alongside a small group of advisers and investors, bypassing normal governance processes and failing to consult the FIFA Council, regional confederations, or member associations.
In its formal response opposing the motion, FIFA stated that UEFA’s brief contained numerous false or misleading statements regarding both the governing body and its president. FIFA’s legal team asserted that suggestions of personal profit or legal violations by Infantino are categorically without merit. The organization emphasized that any such plan would have required approval from both member associations and the FIFA Council, operating under strict internal oversight.
Commercial Valuation Disagreement Over Proposed Subsidiary
At the heart of the financial dispute is the valuation of the proposed subsidiary, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). UEFA claimed in its court filing that investors would have paid $4.2bn (£3.2bn) for a stake in the business, valuing the business at about $20bn. UEFA argued that this figure significantly undervalued FIFA’s commercial rights and bypassed an open auction or independent valuation.
FIFA fired back against those financial claims, stating that UEFA conflated equity value with enterprise value. According to FIFA filings distributed to its member associations, the initial equity value—representing the remainder after debts are paid off—was $20bn, but the total enterprise value was well over $30bn. FIFA maintained that this enterprise valuation was more than double the equity value and well above what UEFA characterized as a fair market price. The FFE project was ultimately abandoned in July following opposition from confederations including UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation over consultation concerns.
Election Interference Allegations Ahead of March Vote
With Gianni Infantino up for re-election in March, FIFA framed the timing of UEFA’s legal actions as a deliberate attempt to sway the upcoming vote. Last week, Infantino wrote to all 211 member associations to propose an independent review of the governing body’s decision-making processes. FIFA argued in its court response that UEFA filed multiple applications just ahead of the election to spread misinformation about the president, urging the US court to reject the discovery request on those grounds.
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