Infantino’s FIFA Forward plan faces digital evidence battle as pressure grows

Gianni Infantino is facing renewed pressure over his plans to create a commercial structure for FIFA competitions, after UEFA demanded the immediate preservation of documents linked to the proposed FIFA Forward project.

The FIFA president has already been forced to abandon his plan to establish a framework that would attract private-sector investors to future FIFA competitions. UEFA’s latest move raises the stakes further, with the European governing body seeking to secure a detailed digital record of how the project was developed and prepared.

The demand has been made in a formal notice to FIFA. UEFA is calling for the preservation of emails, electronic documents, internal communications, financial proposals, investor-related records and any other digitally stored information that could shed light on the origins of FIFA Forward.

That request marks a significant change in the nature of the dispute. The disagreement is no longer limited to strategic differences or questions about governance. UEFA is now signalling that the matter could lead to legal proceedings, arbitration and regulatory complaints.

The developments were reported in a lengthy article published by French football website Foot Mercato, which examined Infantino’s position and the possibility that he could leave his post in the coming months because of the controversy surrounding the FIFA Forward project.

At the centre of the dispute is Infantino’s attempt to build a commercial model capable of bringing private investors into FIFA’s future competitions. UEFA’s opposition has succeeded in stopping the plan in its current form, while the request to preserve the relevant records suggests that the organisation wants to ensure that key evidence cannot be lost or altered.

The documents sought by UEFA would cover the project from its earliest conception through to the preparations made for its implementation. They include communications between officials, financial material and information concerning potential investors, as well as electronic records held across digital systems.

The preservation request does not itself establish wrongdoing, but it underlines the seriousness of the confrontation between UEFA and the FIFA president. By seeking access to the project’s documentary trail, UEFA appears to be preparing for the possibility of challenges beyond internal football politics.

Infantino is therefore in an increasingly difficult position. His commercial plan has been halted after opposition from UEFA and several national football associations, and the subsequent demand for records has opened what could become a wider battle over the project’s handling.

The dispute has been described as a return of the “FIFA-gate” shadow, with the conflict increasingly focused on digital evidence. The outcome could determine whether the controversy remains a dispute over FIFA’s future commercial structure or develops into a process involving courts, arbitration panels and regulatory authorities.

For now, UEFA’s immediate objective is to ensure that all relevant information connected with FIFA Forward is retained. The demand covers the full range of material that might explain how the project emerged, how it was prepared and which investors may have been involved in discussions about it.