UEFA has launched criminal legal proceedings in Switzerland against FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino over an abandoned plan to transfer commercial rights linked to the men’s and women’s World Cups to private investors.
The unprecedented escalation marks a shift from a long-running struggle for influence between football’s two most powerful governing bodies to a direct confrontation involving the Swiss criminal justice system.
The case centres on a proposal to place commercial rights for FIFA’s major tournaments in a newly created subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The plan was later cancelled, but UEFA alleges it was developed secretly for more than a year by Infantino and a small group of associates.
Exclusive documents published by BBC Sport show that UEFA has formally begun criminal proceedings in Switzerland against FIFA and Infantino. The European governing body has also submitted an official request for evidence and documents to support its case before the Swiss courts.
In its submission, UEFA alleges that Infantino acted without the approval of FIFA’s governing bodies or its member associations. The document states: “On 28 July 2026, without consulting the FIFA Council, UEFA or any of the other confederations, or any of FIFA’s 211 member associations, Infantino, allegedly acting on behalf of FIFA, publicly announced a plan to place the commercial rights to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup in a new subsidiary: FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).”
The request adds: “Infantino’s announcement amounted to the public disclosure of a plan that he and a small group of co-conspirators had devised, and which they are said to have been working on secretly for more than a year.”
UEFA’s action follows controversy over the proposed sale of stakes in the commercial rights to FIFA’s leading competitions to private-sector investors. Although the plan was eventually withdrawn, the dispute has intensified scrutiny of the way FIFA’s commercial assets are managed and who has the authority to make decisions over them.
The allegations represent the most serious challenge Infantino has faced since becoming FIFA president. UEFA is effectively accusing him of acting independently and attempting to sell part of football’s global heritage without authorisation from the FIFA Congress.
The documents do not establish that Infantino or FIFA has been found guilty of any criminal offence. Instead, they set out UEFA’s allegations and its request for evidence as the Swiss legal process begins.
The move is expected to deepen the divisions between UEFA and FIFA, which have previously disputed issues surrounding football’s global competitions, commercial strategy and the distribution of power across the sport.
The subject has also prompted wider discussion among football supporters, with readers able to debate the latest developments and news in the Kooora forums.
