UEFA files criminal complaint against FIFA president over World Cup stake sale
European football’s governing body is pursuing criminal mismanagement charges in Switzerland, alleging that the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan was engineered to benefit private investors at the expense of member associations.
UEFA has formally initiated criminal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Switzerland, citing "criminal mismanagement" related to the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme. The legal action centres on the proposal to sell permanent financial stakes in FIFA’s commercial arm, including the World Cup, to private investors. According to documents reviewed by BBC Sport, UEFA has applied to a court in Florida to access evidence held by FIFA entities, specifically FIFA Americas and FWC2026, to support the Swiss complaint.
The core of UEFA’s allegation is that Infantino engineered the creation of FFE to enrich himself and a "small circle" of co-conspirators. The application describes the plan as a vehicle to acquire a permanent stake in FIFA’s most valuable assets, thereby inflicting direct injury on FIFA’s reputation, governance authority, and commercial relationships. UEFA argues that the secretive structuring and financing of the deal harmed the interests of FIFA’s 211 member associations, including its own 55 members.
A significant point of contention is the valuation of the assets. UEFA characterised the proposed sale price of $4.2 billion for a permanent financial interest as a "fraudulently off-market price." The application claims this figure implied an enterprise value of approximately $20 billion, a sum that was neither the product of an open, competitive auction nor tested by any independent valuer. UEFA asserts that the plan was pushed through internal approval at a "hastily convened meeting" where officials were given mere hours to sign off on the multi-billion dollar scheme.
The FFE plan was publicly announced on 28 July 2026, shortly after the 2026 World Cup, without prior consultation with the FIFA Council, UEFA, other confederations, or member associations. UEFA contends that the proposal had been in secret development for over a year. The scheme was eventually scrapped following widespread backlash and a threat of a boycott by UEFA members, who had voted to withdraw support unless the plan was abandoned.
Swiss counsel has confirmed that UEFA has standing to file a criminal complaint for criminal mismanagement against Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials. The proceedings are currently in the evidence-gathering stage, with actual charges to be filed in Switzerland at a later date. UEFA’s application notes that FIFA’s power has operated largely without meaningful internal constraint, relying instead on external forces such as political pressure and international criminal law enforcement for accountability.
Infantino, who is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president in March, has faced calls to step down following the collapse of the FFE plan. The relationship between Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has deteriorated in recent months, with FIFA recently defending Infantino against allegations tied to his time at UEFA. While UEFA insists the plan was concocted without the knowledge of key stakeholders, FIFA has previously described the criticism as an effort to undermine its leadership.
