TA: FIFA Accuses UEFA of Smear Campaign Against Infantino

September 4 – The Athletic reports that FIFA has accused UEFA of waging a “smear campaign” against its president, Gianni Infantino.

The dispute stems from a legal filing made by UEFA on August 28 in a U.S. court, in which it alleged Infantino had promoted a “fraudulent, off-market price for his own benefit.” This related to a now-abandoned proposal—part of the “FIFA Forward Enterprise” (FFE) plan—to sell a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial and event operations for $4.2 billion to private investors.

In a court filing on Tuesday, FIFA responded harshly. “While these applications are styled as legal pleadings with captions and docket numbers, they are little more than press releases in further support of UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership,” FIFA said. The governing body also argued that UEFA was seeking discovery for “non-existent” Swiss criminal proceedings, pointing out that UEFA does not have the authority to initiate such a case, and requested the court to defer or reject the request .

In its filing, FIFA further accused UEFA of deliberately trying to derail the FFE plan from the outset by threatening a boycott of future FIFA competitions. It alleged UEFA’s opposition was economically motivated, arguing that UEFA wanted to prevent smaller nations from gaining the financial strength to challenge Europe’s dominance. “If soccer is strengthened in the developing world, global competition increases, which ultimately reduces UEFA’s market power and provides more competition for its flagship tournaments,” the filing stated .

The filing is part of an escalating legal and political battle between the two organizations, which began after FIFA quickly withdrew the FFE proposal on July 31 in response to widespread opposition. UEFA’s legal requests also target other entities involved in the plan, including Thrive Capital, its founder Joshua Kushner, and JPMorgan . UEFA has not yet commented on FIFA’s allegations, but has previously stated it would work with partner confederations to provide a “credible alternative” if Infantino seeks another term .