FIFA Accuses UEFA of Smear Campaign Against Infantino in New York Court
Key Points
- FIFA filed a response in Southern District of New York court on September 3, 2026, calling UEFA's legal applications "press releases" in a smear campaign.
- UEFA has filed legal cases in American courts seeking evidence on the controversial $20 billion World Cup subsidiary and warned of considering criminal proceedings against Infantino in Switzerland.
- FIFA claims UEFA is acting out of self-interest to prevent smaller countries from having financial strength to compete with European elite teams.
FIFA's lawyers argued that UEFA's application suffers from a fundamental defect, stating that "UEFA seeks discovery in aid of a foreign criminal proceeding that does not exist and that UEFA admittedly lacks the authority to initiate." The filing contests the legality of UEFA's pursuit through courts rather than through football's internal dispute resolution.
The dispute centres on FIFA Forward Enterprise, the proposed $20 billion subsidiary. FIFA claims the venture was only a proposal requiring approval by member associations and the ruling council. Plans included receiving up to $4.2 billion from private investors beginning in October, according to FIFA's legal filing.
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Carlos Cordeiro, FIFA's senior adviser, called the deal a "bad deal" for football when resigning from his role.
FIFA claims UEFA is acting from self-interest to protect its own competitions and market power. FIFA's court filing states: "UEFA's economic motivation was to prevent smaller countries from having the financial strength to compete with the European elite. 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."
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The filing further claims that FIFA Forward Enterprise would strengthen smaller member associations financially, allowing more players from developing nations to choose representing their countries of origin and playing in home leagues rather than abroad.
FIFA argues that rather than participate in a democratic process, UEFA initiated a weeks-long campaign against FIFA leadership. FIFA's position is that any disputes should be handled within football's governance structures rather than through American courts.
The conflict represents an escalation in long-standing tensions between FIFA and UEFA over governance, competition structure, and financial distribution among member associations. This marks only the second time in two decades that the two organisations have pursued legal action against each other through foreign court systems, with disputes of this magnitude typically resolved through football's internal governing bodies.
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Sources: Sky Sports and other international news outlets.
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