The latest escalation in the dispute between FIFA and UEFA has moved into the courts, with FIFA accusing European football’s governing body of “harassment” against Infantino and challenging the motives behind UEFA’s efforts to obtain documents relating to the controversial World Cup commercial venture.
The claims were made in a legal filing in Miami as reported by Sky News, as FIFA seeks to block UEFA’s request for evidence connected to the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
The dispute comes months before FIFA’s presidential election, scheduled for March 2027, in which Infantino is seeking another term.
FIFA Challenges UEFA’s Legal Request
UEFA has sought documents relating to the FFE proposal as it considers possible legal action against Infantino. In its own filings, UEFA has alleged that the proposed venture could have undervalued FIFA’s commercial rights and questioned whether the scheme could have provided personal financial benefits to Infantino.
FIFA has strongly rejected those allegations.
“UEFA’s conduct demonstrates that its application was made in bad faith and for the purpose of harassment,” FIFA’s lawyers wrote in their court filing.
The organisation also disputed UEFA’s suggestion that Infantino personally sought to profit from the proposal, describing the allegation as having “no basis whatsoever.” FIFA has maintained that FFE was only a proposal that would have required approval through the organisation’s governing structures.
The FFE plan was abandoned in July after opposition from several football stakeholders. It involved creating a commercial subsidiary linked to FIFA’s competition rights, including the World Cup, with a portion potentially being sold to private investors.
Another Accusation Against UEFA
The latest confrontation is not the first time FIFA has accused UEFA of campaigning against Infantino.
In September, TS Sports reported that FIFA had accused UEFA of launching a “smear campaign” against Infantino following UEFA’s legal challenges over the abandoned investment proposal. FIFA’s lawyers described UEFA’s American court applications as being part of what they called a wider campaign against FIFA and its leadership.
UEFA, meanwhile, has said it has lost confidence in Infantino following the FFE controversy and has sought greater scrutiny of the proposal. The European governing body has also been pursuing documents in the United States as it considers potential proceedings in Switzerland.
The dispute has therefore developed beyond disagreement over one commercial proposal, becoming part of a wider debate about FIFA’s governance, transparency and decision-making.
A Dispute With Wider Consequences
The timing of the legal battle is particularly significant because the deadline for FIFA presidential nominations is approaching.
FIFA’s filing argues that UEFA’s legal action could influence the election, while UEFA has indicated that it wants to find an alternative candidate capable of challenging Infantino.
Neither side has accepted the other’s interpretation of events, leaving the courts and FIFA’s institutional processes to determine the next stages.
With the FFE proposal already abandoned, the continuing legal dispute now places FIFA’s governance and the relationship between its leadership and UEFA under further scrutiny as the 2027 presidential election approaches.
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