FIFA accuses UEFA of ‘misinformation campaign’ over FFE

The attack centres on UEFA’s rejection of Gianni Infantino’s proposal for World Cup private investment.

A legal filing in the South Florida District Court asserts it would have been “a dereliction of duty” for Infantino not to have considered the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.

The proposal was ultimately abandoned after opposition from UEFA and two other confederations.

Oxford United owner, and Indonesian FA president, Erick Thohir was one of the few to support the idea of selling the World Cup to private investors.

The court filing, seen by the Press Association, rejects claims that Infantino could have personally benefited from the FFE.

It states that the proposal would have needed approval from FIFA’s 211 national associations and the FIFA Council.

The filing also accuses UEFA of making its application for documents related to the FFE “for the purposes of harassment, rather than out of any legitimate need for discovery.”

The European football governing body had argued that the FFE was given a “fraudulently off-market” valuation of 20 billion US dollars.

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However, FIFA countered this by stating that UEFA had confused equity value with enterprise value.

According to FIFA, the enterprise value was “more than twice” that of the equity value.

The FIFA filing added: “UEFA would have learned all of this had it bothered to verify its assertions before publicly decrying the proposal or filing in federal court.”

File photo dated 19/07/2026 of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump, President of the United States. Gianni Infantino has called on emergency meeting of FIFA staff in Rabat on Wednesday following comments by Arsene Wenger that ramped up the pressure on the president, the Press Association understands. Issue date: Tuesday August 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Nick Potts/PA Wire. (Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)

UEFA has said it has lost confidence in Infantino and is seeking to put up a credible alternative candidate to stand against him in next year’s presidential election.

FIFA’s filing questions the timing of UEFA’s legal application, noting that the deadline for candidates to be submitted is November 18.

PA has approached UEFA for comment.