DistantNews
Support us
🇫🇷 France /Sports

FIFA and UEFA legal battle intensifies over abandoned private-investment World Cup plan

From Le Figaro · () French

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

At a glance

News Documents & data In the courts
  • FIFA accused UEFA of conducting a defamation campaign after the European body sought documents in U.S. courts linked to FIFA's abandoned private-investment World Cup plan.
  • UEFA is preparing a Swiss legal action against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over alleged disloyal management.
  • FIFA said releasing internal correspondence could expose sensitive and confidential information, while UEFA says the documents could support its planned complaint.

The dispute between FIFA and UEFA has moved into the courts after FIFA abandoned its controversial plan to open the World Cup to private investors.

FIFA accused UEFA of pursuing a "defamation campaign" after the European governing body asked judges in the United States to hand over documents connected to the failed project. FIFA made the accusation in filings seeking to challenge UEFA's requests, documents reviewed by AFP showed.

defamation campaign

· FIFAFIFA used the phrase to describe UEFA's legal requests and public criticism of the abandoned investment plan.

The plan emerged in July with the strong backing of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. It triggered opposition from numerous figures in world football, including UEFA. FIFA then reversed course in an effort to end the controversy.

UEFA is now preparing a legal action against Infantino for alleged "disloyal management." Last week, it filed requests in three U.S. states for documents related to the project and its potential partners. Those partners included Thrive Capital, the company owned by U.S. investor Joshua Kushner, which was expected to play a major role in the abandoned plan.

disloyal management

· UEFAUEFA is preparing a legal action against FIFA President Gianni Infantino using this allegation.

UEFA says it intends to use the documents to bring a complaint under Swiss law, arguing that the case meets the conditions to be heard there. FIFA disputes UEFA's right to demand internal records before any criminal proceedings begin. It also argues that UEFA lacks standing because it suffered no financial loss, and accuses the European body of bypassing Swiss courts by going directly to U.S. courts.

FIFA warned that disclosure of internal correspondence involving Infantino and other named staff members and advisers "would directly threaten FIFA's interests and reveal sensitive and confidential information."

would directly threaten FIFA's interests and reveal sensitive and confidential information

· FIFAFIFA warned about the consequences of releasing internal correspondence and other records.
About this summary

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. 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.

More Stories

From Our Blog