UEFA has asked a U.S. federal court for permission to obtain testimony and documents from two Florida-based FIFA entities for use in potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino and possibly other officials.
The request centres on a now-abandoned proposal to transfer commercial rights linked to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup into a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
In an ex parte application, European football’s governing body said it was considering criminal proceedings against Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials and advisers over the structuring, valuation, financing and marketing of the proposed venture.
UEFA alleged that Infantino developed the proposal with a small group of advisers and investors, bypassing FIFA’s normal governance processes and failing to consult FIFA’s Council, regional confederations or its 211 member associations.
The filing asks the court to authorise discovery from FIFA (AMERICAS), Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc., two Florida-based FIFA entities.
UEFA said the organisations may possess documents and witnesses relevant to how the FFE transaction was conceived, structured, valued and approved.
In a 56-page filing, UEFA said it and other interested parties were preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisers for alleged criminal mismanagement arising from the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise.
UEFA said the proposed transaction could have allowed private investors to acquire a permanent financial interest in FIFA’s commercial arm for $4.2 billion, implying an enterprise value of about $20 billion.
It argued that the valuation had neither resulted from an open, competitive auction nor been independently tested.
The proposed FFE structure was publicly announced on July 28, according to UEFA’s filing. The plan was subsequently abandoned on Aug. 1.
UEFA’s legal move comes after it withdrew a threat to boycott future FIFA tournaments following assurances that the private investor plan would not be revived.
The abandonment of the original proposal and guarantees against a repeat of the plan were the two conditions UEFA had sought before dropping the boycott threat.
The dispute now appears set to move beyond football politics and governance, with UEFA seeking evidence in the United States that it says could be used in potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland.
