UEFA has asked a federal court in Florida for permission to obtain testimony and documents from FIFA entities for use in a planned criminal complaint in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The request concerns an abandoned proposal to move commercial rights linked to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup into a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise. UEFA says it is considering claims against Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials and advisers under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code.
What UEFA alleges about the proposal
In the filing, UEFA alleges that Infantino developed the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal secretly with a small group of advisers and investors. It says the plan bypassed FIFA’s usual governance processes and did not involve consultation with the FIFA Council, regional confederations or member associations. For additional context, see “FIFA’s Gianni Infantino rejects allegations linked to UEFA payment”.
Key points
- The US filing is an ex parte application seeking court-authorised discovery.
- The requested records and testimony are held by FIFA (AMERICAS), Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc.
- UEFA says the material could show how the proposed transaction was conceived, structured, valued and approved.
What the Florida request seeks
UEFA is asking the court to authorise discovery from the two Florida-based FIFA entities. The organisation says they may have documents and witnesses relevant to the proposed transaction and to the decisions surrounding it.
The Swiss proceedings have not been filed as a completed criminal case in the material available here. UEFA describes them as claims it and other interested parties are preparing to bring, while the US application seeks access to evidence for that possible action. A related part of this story is covered in “Fifa faces backlash over $20bn World Cup commercial rights sale proposal”.
What happens next
UEFA says it is actively considering legal action and preparing potential criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisers. The development of this issue can be followed in “FIFA’s proposal to sell minority stakes in World Cup faces UEFA backlash”.
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