UEFA is laying the groundwork for criminal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino over his now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors. Documents seen by BBC Sport show European football’s governing body has applied for access to evidence it intends to use in a future Swiss case accusing Infantino of “criminal mismanagement.” UEFA says it’s also weighing criminal action against other FIFA officials.
Shortly after this summer’s World Cup, Infantino floated creating a new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), that would have sold stakes in FIFA’s competitions to outside investors. The plan collapsed under heavy pushback.
In its application, UEFA alleges Infantino designed the plan to benefit himself and a small group of private investors rather than FIFA as a whole. The filing states the scheme was really a way for Infantino “and that small circle” to gain a lasting stake in FIFA’s most valuable assets at the expense of FIFA, its member associations, and others in the sport. UEFA also claims Infantino rushed the plan through FIFA’s internal approval process at a hastily called meeting, giving officials, some of whom had never even heard of the proposal, only hours to sign off on a multibillion-dollar deal.
Senior UEFA and European football figures met in Monaco today ahead of the Champions League draw, with Infantino’s position among the topics discussed. UEFA said in a statement that those present “unanimously mandated” its president and administration to pursue every institutional, political, and legal path available to secure reform, rein in presidential authority, and ensure FIFA is run as an institution rather than around one person. BBC Sport has reached out to both Infantino and FIFA for comment.
The Valuation Dispute
UEFA’s filing also challenges how the stakes in FIFA’s commercial arm were priced, arguing the valuation was never independently verified and undervalued the assets significantly. The application calls it “a fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit,” noting that the $4.2 billion investors would have paid implied an overall enterprise value of just $20 billion for FIFA’s commercial operations, a figure UEFA says wasn’t tested by any independent valuer or produced through competitive bidding.
To build its case, UEFA has applied to a Florida court for access to files held by two Florida-based FIFA entities, FIFA Americas and FWC2026, material it plans to eventually use in Swiss criminal proceedings. UEFA argues its 55 member federations could have been harmed by the plan and says it may pursue charges against additional FIFA officials and advisers, not just Infantino.
A Secret Process, UEFA Alleges
According to the filing, Infantino announced the plan on July 28, 2026, without first consulting the FIFA Council, UEFA, other confederations, or any of FIFA’s 211 member associations. UEFA claims the proposal had actually been in secret development for more than a year among Infantino and a small circle of collaborators before its public unveiling.
The filing goes further, alleging a broader pattern of corruption within FIFA leadership, and argues that meaningful accountability at FIFA has historically come only from outside pressure, political scrutiny, or international law enforcement, rather than internal checks. UEFA says Swiss legal counsel has confirmed the organization has standing to file a criminal complaint for mismanagement against Infantino, and potentially other FIFA officials, under Swiss law.
Why the Plan Was So Controversial
Infantino had offered FIFA’s 211 member associations $40 million each in exchange for backing the FFE proposal, which would have opened the men’s and women’s World Cups to private investment. He’s faced calls to resign since dropping the plan earlier this month.
UEFA led the opposition, saying it had lost confidence in Infantino, with its members voting to boycott World Cup participation unless the plan was scrapped. In an open letter, UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation accused Infantino of breaching trust “through deception.” All the UK home nations’ football associations have withdrawn their support, though Infantino, who is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president in March, still has backing from South America’s CONMEBOL and Africa’s CAF, along with some individual nations that have broken from their confederations to support him.
