European football governing body UEFA has raised the possibility of taking legal action against FIFA President Gianni Infantino (according to ESPN) following his controversial proposal to privatize a share of the World Cup’s commercial operations. In addition to Infantino, UEFA has written to Joshua Kushner, Greg Maffei, JP Morgan, and Open Economics to inform them that it is considering legal action over their association with the shelved plan.
UEFA Threatens Legal Action and Warns Against Document Destruction
Lawyers for UEFA informed FIFA that the European body is actively considering legal action, arbitration, and regulatory complaints arising out of and in connection with the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan proposed by FIFA and all related matters. A document preservation letter sent by the New York legal firm Dechert and signed by lawyer Andrew J. Levander named 18 FIFA executives who must retain data, documents, and electronic messages as potential evidence. The letter warned that any destruction, deletion, alteration, concealment, or loss of relevant materials may constitute spoliation of evidence.
Collapsing FFE Plan Sparks Global Furor and Backlash
The controversy centered on Infantino’s proposal to create a $20 billion subsidiary company to run World Cups, Club World Cups, and other FIFA competitions and events with private investors, including Joshua Kushner’s venture capital firm Thrive Capital and other New York investment firms (according to POLITICO). The plan offered FIFA’s 211 member federations one-off payments of $20 million each with a mid-September deadline to accept, but the Zurich-based not-for-profit governing body’s members already effectively own the organization.
The proposal drew fierce pushback, culminating in UEFA’s 55 member nations meeting on Thursday to agree to a boycott of all FIFA events and competitions while the proposal was active (according to ESPN). Senior FIFA figures also criticized the project, with FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour issuing a stinging statement saying staff members were deceived by the project and that it was the project of just one man. Facing mounting pressure, Infantino withdrew the divisive proposal early Saturday, stating in a late Friday statement that the proposal would not proceed.
Re-Election Prospects and Support Letters in Jeopardy
The collapse of the privatization plan has thrown Gianni Infantino’s expected re-election as FIFA president into serious doubt (according to ESPN). Infantino had left New York following the World Cup final two weeks prior seemingly guaranteed to be re-elected unopposed next March for a fourth and final term in office through 2031, which could have extended his role beyond 2031 into a commissioner-like position paying significantly more than his current $6 million annual salary and bonus deal.
During the World Cup, FIFA had briefed that Infantino secured pledged support letters from approximately 200 of the 211 member federations. Following the fallout, those endorsements have begun to unravel. The Football Association of Wales and Finland started the process of withdrawing endorsement letters, with Wales becoming the first to officially announce its reversal (according to The Independent). The candidate submission deadline is set for November 18 ahead of the election scheduled for March in Morocco, which serves as a co-host of the 2030 tournament alongside Spain and Portugal.
