UEFA prepares Swiss criminal complaint over Infantino’s FIFA World Cup rights plan

UEFA is preparing to submit a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino to the Swiss courts over alleged financial mismanagement linked to a proposed sale of part of the commercial rights to the World Cup, according to ESPN.

The allegations centre on a plan under which two leading New York-based investors were expected to pay FIFA $4.2bn for a 20% stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a subsidiary intended to manage the world governing body’s commercial events, including the World Cup.

ESPN reports that UEFA has accused Infantino of offering the stake without following the appropriate legal procedures or consulting FIFA’s hierarchy. The European governing body is now waiting to take possible criminal action in Switzerland, where FIFA is headquartered, after reviewing the available evidence.

UEFA has submitted a 60-page document to a Manhattan court as it seeks access to potentially relevant evidence from an investment fund in New York. The filing is part of the process surrounding the proposed transaction and could provide material for any future proceedings in Switzerland.

The document also alleges that other FIFA officials may have committed financial mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code. The claims remain allegations, and the reported filing concerns a process to examine possible evidence before any criminal proceedings are launched.

Infantino withdrew the plan to sell a stake in the World Cup-related business on 1 August. The decision followed an angry response from football associations, which opposed the proposed arrangement.

The proposed deal would have involved FIFA transferring a minority interest in FFE to outside investors. The subsidiary was expected to oversee the commercial activity connected with FIFA events, with the World Cup identified as one of the competitions included in the plan.

UEFA had earlier threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions, but withdrew that threat earlier this week after receiving assurances that there would be no future attempt to sell a stake in the global football body, which is a non-profit organisation.

The latest development means the dispute has moved beyond the abandoned commercial plan and into a potential legal process. UEFA’s complaint would be handled in Switzerland, while the documents already filed in Manhattan are intended to help uncover evidence linked to the proposed investment.

FIFA has not been reported as having completed the transaction, and Infantino’s decision to abandon the plan came before any sale of the stake took place. The European body’s next step is expected to depend on its assessment of the evidence gathered through the US court process.