FIFA accused UEFA of conducting a smear campaign targeting FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino over a failed plan to sell a 20% stake in World Cup commercial rights for about $4.2 billion. The proposal, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), was withdrawn on July 31, 2026, after opposition from UEFA and other football confederations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
UEFA has filed legal requests in multiple US courts seeking documents and testimony from FIFA and U.S.-based entities, including Thrive Capital, led by Joshua Kushner, which was linked to the FFE plan. UEFA accuses Infantino of criminal mismanagement and fraudulently promoting an off-market price on the deal to benefit himself [1, 2, 9, 3, 5, 7, 10, 8]. Kushner has said he would not have gotten involved had he known the full picture [11].
FIFA responded in court filings on September 1, urging US judges to reject or delay UEFA's discovery requests, calling them "little more than press releases in further support of UEFA's smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership." FIFA also argues no criminal proceedings are open in Switzerland, disputing UEFA's claims that the legal requests relate to potential Swiss criminal investigations [1, 2, 9, 3, 5, 12, 7, 10, 8].
FIFA portrayed UEFA's opposition as motivated by a desire to protect UEFA's dominance and market power in global football. A FIFA legal filing stated, "If soccer is strengthened in the developing world, global competition increases, which ultimately reduces UEFA's market power and provides more competition for its flagship tournaments" [3, 7].
The abandoned FFE plan aimed to create a new entity to sell a 20% stake in FIFA's World Cup commercial rights for about $4.2 billion. The proposal faced strong opposition from UEFA and other confederations including the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF, putting Infantino under rising pressure and threat of a no-confidence vote [2, 9, 4, 6, 10].
The dispute intensified publicly on September 3, with media reporting on the escalating legal and political conflict between FIFA and UEFA regarding the FFE plan and associated accusations of a smear campaign [1, 2, 9, 3, 5].
Next steps include ongoing litigation in US courts over UEFA's discovery requests. Both organizations appear prepared to continue their legal and political battle as pressure mounts on FIFA leadership.
