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FIFA Accuses UEFA of Smear Campaign Amid Infantino Dispute

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Documents & data In the courts
  • FIFA accused UEFA of conducting a smear campaign after the European body sought US court orders requiring documents about an abandoned World Cup investment plan.
  • UEFA rejected the plan, threatened to boycott the tournament and is considering legal action against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over alleged criminal mismanagement.
  • FIFA asked US judges to block the requests, arguing UEFA lacks standing and that releasing internal correspondence would expose sensitive information.

FIFA has accused UEFA of turning a legal filing into a public attack as the two football bodies clash over an abandoned plan to attract investors for the World Cup.

The European confederation asked judges in the United States to compel FIFA and its partners to hand over documents about the proposal. UEFA strongly opposed the plan, presented in July, and threatened to boycott the tournament unless FIFA withdrew it. FIFA soon abandoned the initiative after criticism from across the football world.

UEFA has continued to press the issue. It filed requests in three US states last week seeking documents from FIFA and partners including Thrive Capital, whose founder Joshua Kushner had emerged as the leading interested investor. Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. UEFA has said the documents could support a formal complaint in Switzerland, where it believes the case could meet the requirements for court proceedings.

FIFA responded by asking US judges for permission to challenge UEFA’s requests. Its filings described them as “press releases intended to reinforce UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership”. FIFA said UEFA had no right to demand its internal documents because no criminal proceeding had begun in Switzerland or elsewhere. It also argued that UEFA would lack legal standing even if a case existed, because it had suffered no financial loss.

FIFA further accused UEFA of improperly bypassing Swiss courts by going directly to US law offices. It said disclosure of correspondence involving Infantino, staff and advisers would threaten FIFA’s interests and reveal sensitive, confidential information.

press releases intended to reinforce UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership

· FIFAFIFA used the phrase in filings opposing UEFA’s requests for documents.
About this summary

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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