FIFA has accused UEFA of conducting a "smear campaign" after the European confederation applied to US courts for discovery of records connected to FIFA’s now-abandoned private investor plan for the World Cup.
Legal fight moves to US courts
UEFA has applied in American courts for access to evidence and documentation linked to FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the private company that had been envisaged to run the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. FIFA confirmed last month that the plan involved the proposed sale of a 20 per cent stake in FFE to private investors, a proposal President Gianni Infantino withdrew on 1 August amid opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF.
Despite the withdrawal, UEFA has continued to pursue documents, telling courts that the material could be used to prepare potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland, according to filings seen by the Press Association on 27 August.
Procedural skirmishes and deadlines
FIFA moved to oppose UEFA’s request in the Southern District of Florida, filing a motion which the court granted on the next business day, 31 August. Under that schedule, FIFA has until 28 September to submit a full opposition to UEFA’s discovery application. The governing body has also filed a similar motion to oppose in the Southern District of New York.
“little more than press releases in further support of UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership”
Documents from FIFA’s legal team, as seen by the Press Association, described UEFA’s applications as being, in their words, "little more than press releases in further support of UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership". In its New York filing, FIFA asked the court to defer consideration of UEFA’s discovery application until the Florida court has ruled, or to permit FIFA to oppose UEFA’s application within an extended timeframe.
What is at stake
The dispute centres on an organisational proposal that, had it proceeded, would have represented a significant change in how FIFA finances and operates its competitions. The documents sought by UEFA appear to relate to the aborted plan and the decision-making around it. UEFA has indicated it is preparing material that could inform possible criminal proceedings in Switzerland; FIFA says the US discovery requests are politically motivated.
- 20% – proportion of FFE that FIFA had planned to sell to private investors.
- 1 August – date Gianni Infantino announced withdrawal of the investor plan.
- 31 August – Florida court granted FIFA’s initial procedural motion.
- 28 September – deadline for FIFA to file full opposition in Florida.
The immediate consequence is procedural: whether US courts will permit discovery that could compel production of documents from FIFA or its executives. But the broader consequence is reputational and legal. Were material obtained in US proceedings to be used in Swiss investigations, the internal politics that have emerged between world and continental governing bodies could feed into formal criminal or regulatory inquiries.
Wider context and uncertainty
This episode follows months of controversy around governance and commercial proposals from FIFA under President Infantino. UEFA’s involvement, backed by statements of opposition from other confederations, underlines a rare public rift between the institutions that oversee the sport. At present, filings seen by the Press Association provide the public account of the legal manoeuvring, but courts in Florida and New York have yet to rule fully on the merits of UEFA’s discovery requests.
Both sides are using procedural motions to shape the timing and forum for disclosure. Until those motions are resolved, the substance of the documents UEFA seeks — and whether they will be made available outside FIFA’s control — remains uncertain. Any release of internal records would likely intensify scrutiny of the aborted investor scheme and could prompt further legal or regulatory actions in Switzerland, where UEFA says it plans to use material to prepare potential criminal proceedings.
The contest between FIFA and UEFA is now playing out not only in international football politics but across the US legal system, as both bodies race to set the procedural terms that will govern any future disclosure.
