FIFA has accused UEFA of running a “misinformation campaign” against a proposed private-investor scheme that could have generated billions of dollars to support football development, according to legal documents filed in a U.S. court.
The dispute centres on the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposal examined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino before it was shelved after UEFA and two other continental football confederations opposed it.
FIFA made the allegations in a submission to the District Court of South Florida, where it is opposing a UEFA request for documents related to the FFE.
The governing body rejected suggestions that Infantino stood to personally benefit from the proposal, saying it would have required approval from FIFA’s 211 member associations and the FIFA Council.
UEFA had questioned the valuation attached to the project, describing its estimated $20 billion figure as “fraudulently off-market”.
FIFA disputed that assessment, saying UEFA had confused the project’s equity value with its enterprise value. It said the enterprise value was more than twice the equity valuation.
The legal dispute comes as tensions between FIFA and UEFA extend into the organisation’s leadership. UEFA has said it has lost confidence in Infantino and is seeking a rival candidate for next year’s FIFA presidential election.
FIFA’s filing also questioned the timing of UEFA’s court application, noting that the deadline for presidential candidates to be nominated is Nov. 18.
“This court should reject any attempt to influence FIFA’s presidential election,” FIFA said in its filing.
UEFA had accused FIFA of pursuing the case improperly, arguing that its document request was intended for “harassment” rather than a legitimate need for discovery. UEFA has been approached for comment.
