UEFA is preparing a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Swiss courts, accusing him of financial mismanagement over his now-abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors — a move that UEFA’s lawyers describe as potentially criminal under Swiss law and personally motivated by financial gain.
Sources told that UEFA has filed discovery documents in a Manhattan court, requesting evidence from New York investment firm Thrive Capital Management — founded by Joshua Kushner — which had been set to lead the investor group. A 60-page document outlining UEFA’s position and its requests for information has been served on FIFA at its North American headquarters in Coral Gables, Florida, and on Thrive and JP Morgan in New York. Financier Greg Maffei of BANN Ventures in Denver has also received the document. All parties have been ordered to produce all documentation and communication relating to the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.
“UEFA and its counsel are contemplating a Swiss criminal proceeding against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code,” UEFA’s lawyers state in the document.
What UEFA Is Alleging
The core of UEFA’s argument is that Infantino offered a 20% stake in a $20 billion FIFA subsidiary — which would have managed commercial operations for the World Cup, Club World Cup, and other FIFA competitions — at a price that was neither determined by open auction nor assessed by independent valuers. UEFA’s lawyers describe the $4.2 billion price Thrive and Kushner agreed to pay as a “fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit.”
“Under the terms Infantino announced, those investors stood to acquire a permanent financial interest in FIFA’s commercial arm for $4.2 billion, implying an absurdly low enterprise value of only approximately $20 billion — a figure that was neither the product of an open, competitive auction, nor tested by any independent valuer,” UEFA’s legal filing states.
The document further accuses Infantino of framing the deal as something that would benefit global football development while using it as a vehicle for a small inner circle to profit from FIFA’s most valuable assets “to the detriment of FIFA, its members, and other parties within the football family.”
Where the Case Stands
Infantino dropped the FFE plan on August 1st after a furious backlash from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and Concacaf. UEFA subsequently suspended its threat to boycott all FIFA competitions after receiving assurances that no future attempt would be made to sell a stake in the non-profit body. The suspension of the boycott threat remains “under constant review and may be reconsidered immediately if circumstances so require,” UEFA said.
The Thursday legal move was revealed to UEFA’s member federations in Monaco just two hours before the Champions League draw began. UEFA first warned against destruction of relevant materials on August 3rd. The criminal complaint itself has not yet been filed — UEFA is considering whether to direct it to the Swiss federal prosecution office in Bern or to local prosecutors in Zurich, where FIFA’s main headquarters is located.
The track record of Swiss authorities in prosecuting football corruption cases is poor. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, former UEFA president Michel Platini, and Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaïfi have each been acquitted twice in Swiss courts. Nevertheless, the legal action puts sustained institutional pressure on Infantino at a moment when his hold on the FIFA presidency has already been significantly weakened by the FFE controversy. A presidential election is scheduled for March in Rabat, Morocco, with declarations due by November 18th.
Thrive Capital declined to comment. FIFA did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
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