By Riffat Kausar,
SNN News Finland
The FIFA UEFA dispute deepened this week after FIFA accused UEFA of spreading false information about president Gianni Infantino ahead of the next FIFA presidential election. FIFA made the claim in a US court filing opposing a UEFA request for documents linked to a shelved plan to move World Cup commercial rights into a new company.
UEFA says it plans to file a criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland, according to Reuters. No such complaint had been reported as filed at the time of writing, and FIFA denies any wrongdoing.
What the FIFA UEFA Dispute Is About
The row centres on a plan, now abandoned, to transfer FIFA’s World Cup commercial rights into a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
According to UEFA’s filing, as cited by Reuters, investors would have paid $4.2 billion for a stake in FFE, valuing the business at about $20 billion. Infantino raised the proposals in July, and they were quickly shelved after a backlash, AFP reported.
UEFA argues the valuation significantly undervalued FIFA’s commercial rights and was not tested through an open auction or by an independent valuer. It also alleges Infantino developed the plan in secret with a small group of advisers and investors, without consulting the FIFA Council, regional confederations or member associations.
Neither side’s claims have been tested in court. The allegations about the valuation and governance of the plan are UEFA’s, and FIFA disputes them.
FIFA Rejects UEFA’s Claims About Infantino
In a 26-page filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, FIFA said UEFA’s brief contained multiple false or misleading statements about FIFA and Infantino. It accused UEFA of a “misinformation campaign” and said the request was aimed at influencing next year’s presidential election.
FIFA also said UEFA acted in bad faith and for purposes of harassment rather than any legitimate need for evidence, according to AFP. It rejected the suggestion that Infantino sought to profit personally from the plan. It said the proposal required approval from member associations and the FIFA Council and would have been overseen by both.
On the valuation, FIFA said UEFA confuses equity value with enterprise value, according to Reuters. FIFA said any suggestion that Infantino broke the law or ethical principles is without merit. UEFA has argued that the plan bypassed normal FIFA governance processes, an allegation FIFA disputes by pointing to the required approvals.
FIFA is world football’s global governing body, while UEFA governs the sport in Europe. Infantino, a Swiss-Italian lawyer, has led FIFA since 2016 and previously worked at UEFA, where he served as general secretary.
Funding Row Widens the FIFA UEFA Dispute
The court fight comes amid a separate exchange over money. Earlier this month, UEFA urged FIFA to make $10 million available to each member association, a total of $2.1 billion, for infrastructure and football development, AFP reported.
In a letter seen by AFP, Infantino said he would back the largest amount of extra funding that can be delivered responsibly. He said the withdrawn commercial proposal was meant to let FIFA invest more in football.
UEFA has argued that Infantino did not need to raise capital because FIFA holds an estimated $6 billion in unused cash reserves, AFP reported. Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, described the row as part of a growing governance crisis in football.
Key Facts
- FIFA has accused UEFA of a “misinformation campaign” in a US court filing and says UEFA is trying to influence next year’s presidential election.
- The dispute concerns FIFA’s abandoned plan to move World Cup commercial rights into a subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise.
- UEFA’s filing says investors would have paid $4.2 billion for a stake, valuing the company at about $20 billion, according to Reuters.
- UEFA is seeking evidence in the US for a planned criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino. FIFA says the claims are without merit.
- No ruling on UEFA’s request had been reported at the time of writing.
- FIFA UEFA
FAQs
What is the FIFA UEFA dispute about?
It concerns a shelved FIFA plan to move World Cup commercial rights into a new company and sell investors a stake. UEFA says the plan undervalued the rights and lacked proper consultation.
What does FIFA say?
FIFA says UEFA’s filing contains false or misleading statements about Infantino and that UEFA is trying to influence the presidential election. It says any claim that Infantino broke the law is without merit.
How much was the stake worth?
UEFA’s filing says investors would have paid $4.2 billion for a stake valuing the company at about $20 billion, according to Reuters.
Has Infantino been charged?
No charge has been reported. UEFA says it plans a criminal complaint in Switzerland.
Is the plan still going ahead?
What Happens Next
UEFA’s request is before a US federal court in Florida. It is seeking testimony and documents for use in the planned Swiss complaint, according to Reuters.
FIFA’s presidential election is scheduled for next year, according to AFP. No ruling on the discovery request had been reported at the time of writing. UEFA’s response to FIFA’s latest filing was not found in available coverage.
This report is based on coverage by Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera. SNN News Finland has not independently seen the court documents. This is a developing story.
Read more about the ongoing FIFA UEFA dispute and the latest developments in international football.
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