In an ex parte application filed on Thursday, UEFA stated it is considering criminal proceedings against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisers over the now-abandoned plan to transfer commercial rights linked to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup into a new subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
The filing requests authorisation for discovery from two Florida-based FIFA organisations — FIFA (AMERICAS) Inc and FWC2026 US Inc — which UEFA believes may hold relevant documents and witnesses concerning how the proposed transaction was conceived, structured, valued and approved.
UEFA alleged that Infantino developed the proposal in secret with a small group of advisers and investors, bypassing FIFA’s normal governance processes and failing to consult the FIFA Council, regional confederations or the 211 member associations before it was unveiled.
According to the legal document, UEFA and other interested parties are preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code.
The proposed deal would have seen investors pay $4.2 billion for a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise, valuing the business at around $20 billion. UEFA claimed the valuation significantly undervalued FIFA’s commercial rights and was not subjected to an open auction or independent assessment.
The filing also named Thrive Eternal, an investment vehicle linked to Joshua Kushner, as the designated lead investor group, and alleged that former Liberty Media chief executive Greg Maffei acted as a key commercial adviser on the transaction.
In a separate development on Thursday, UEFA announced it was suspending “on a provisional basis” its earlier threat to boycott FIFA competitions. The decision followed a meeting of Europe’s member associations in Monaco and will remain under constant review.
The climbdown offers temporary relief for tournaments such as next month’s U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, though UEFA stressed the boycott option could be reinstated if circumstances change.