The entity chaired by Gianni Infantino requested a Florida court to reject the documentation request submitted by UEFA. For its part, the European body is seeking to gather evidence for a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland
FIFA also emphasized that FFE could not proceed without the approval of the member associations and the organization's Council. Furthermore, it stated that the insinuations that Infantino had violated any law or ethical principle "are categorically unfounded".
The dispute between FIFA and UEFA has added a new chapter and moved its setting to the courts of the United States. The organization led by Gianni Infantino filed a document with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida requesting to reject a request from the European body to access documentation related to FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the private investment project that was discarded months ago.
In the document, FIFA's lawyers accused UEFA of acting in bad faith and conducting a campaign aimed at harming Infantino. According to the legal representatives of the entity, "UEFA's conduct demonstrates that its submission was made in bad faith and with the purpose of harassment".
The conflict originates from the FFE, an initiative promoted by Infantino that contemplated the creation of a commercial subsidiary and the sale of at least 20% of future commercial rights of FIFA to a group of investors for $4.2 billion. The project was abandoned just days after being made public in July, following strong opposition from various federations and, especially, from UEFA.
Now, the European body is trying to gather documentation through U.S. courts to support a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino for alleged financial mismanagement. One of the aspects it seeks to investigate is related to the economic conditions of FFE and a supposed personal benefit for the FIFA president.
The European entity stated in previous submissions that the agreed value for the operation was below market value and suggested that Infantino could assume an executive position within the new structure. FIFA categorically rejected that interpretation and questioned the accusations in its document. "It falsely claims that Mr. Infantino sought to have a personal financial interest in the project", responded the organization's lawyers.
For the governing body of world football, the problem is not limited to the content of the requests made by UEFA, but also to the manner in which the European body conducted the claim. It argued that the public exposure of the conflict and the decision not to initially submit the documentation under confidentiality seal reinforce the idea that the legal action is an attempt at pressure.
The confrontation takes on an additional political dimension due to FIFA's calendar. The deadline for submitting candidacies for the presidency expires on November 18, while the elections are scheduled for March 18, 2027, to be held at the 77th FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco.
In this context, Infantino aspires to a fourth term and, in this regard, the organization questioned whether UEFA's legal offensive could be used to influence the process. "This Court should reject any attempt to influence FIFA's presidential elections based on such arguments", FIFA stated in its submission.
For now, the confrontation between FIFA and UEFA has no resolution in sight. While the U.S. courts analyze the request for access to the documentation, both entities maintain opposing positions on the project that sparked the controversy, in a conflict that promises to extend and add new chapters leading up to the next FIFA elections.
