FIFA Accuses UEFA of Misinformation Campaign as Legal Battle Over World Cup Investment Plan Escalates

FIFA has launched a blistering legal response against UEFA, accusing European football’s governing body of running a "misinformation campaign" and engaging in "bad faith" tactics to influence world football's upcoming presidential election.

The accusations surfaced in a legal submission filed by FIFA in the District Court of South Florida. In the filing, the global governing body urged the court to block UEFA’s motion demanding the disclosure of internal documents and evidence relating to the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.

The dispute stems from the controversial FFE initiative, a scheme promoted by FIFA President Gianni Infantino that proposed selling stakes in the World Cup and other major tournaments to private investors. The proposal triggered a severe backlash across the sport, leading to its withdrawal after rejections from UEFA and two other continental confederations.

UEFA subsequently initiated legal proceedings in the United States to obtain records on the venture, signaling that it could lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland against Infantino for "criminal mismanagement" and accusing him of pushing a "fraudulently off-market price promoted by [him] for his own benefit".

In its court filings, FIFA firmly rejected these allegations and refused to hand over the requested documentation. Lawyers for the organization said:

"With no basis whatsoever, Uefa suggests that Mr Infantino sought to profit personally from the FFE proposal,” adding that "Uefa's suggestions that Mr Infantino violated any law or ethical principle are categorically without merit."

FIFA argued that exploring the investment proposal fell squarely within Infantino's responsibilities, stating it would have been a "dereliction of duty" not to evaluate the venture. World football's governing body also pointed out that any final agreement would have required approval from FIFA’s Council and all 211 member associations.

In response to UEFA’s claim that the FFE venture was given a "fraudulently off-market" valuation of $20 billion, FIFA claimed its European counterpart fundamentally misunderstood the financial structures involved. FIFA argued that UEFA had conflated equity value with enterprise value, adding that the enterprise value was "more than twice" that of the equity value.

FIFA’s filing described UEFA's legal request as "farcically overbroad" and pushed the court to dismiss it:

"UEFA's conduct demonstrates that its application was made in bad faith and for the purpose of harassment."

FIFA directly linked the legal assault to the upcoming FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027, with candidate submissions closing on November 18th. With UEFA actively seeking a alternative candidate to run against Infantino, FIFA’s legal team wrote:

"Just before FIFA's election, UEFA filed this application (and three others) spreading misinformation regarding Mr Infantino. This court should reject any attempt to influence FIFA's presidential election based on these grounds."

The legal clash arrives as Infantino faces dropping support from several prominent European member associations. Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt who serves as a FIFA vice-president recently called for an independent review into the FFE project and urged Infantino to release all relevant files.

At the same time, European and North American leadership have pressured FIFA over its substantial cash reserves, which are projected to reach $6 billion. In a joint letter, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani argued that FIFA holds enough wealth to distribute $2.1 billion directly into global development, suggesting an additional $10 million for each member country, without needing private equity backing.

Infantino has signaled a willingness to release a portion of those reserves, writing in a letter to FIFA Council members:

"I will not prejudge the amount. I will support the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered through FIFA's proper governance process, applied fairly and supported by transparent and auditable arrangements. The ambition is welcome. The financial evidence, governance and implementation must now support it."