Uefa considers legal action against Fifa over investment plan
The English Football Association is preparing to withdraw its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino following the controversy surrounding his abandoned plans to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors. This development comes as Uefa is reportedly considering legal action against the proposals, and Wales has publicly announced its withdrawal of backing for Infantino‘s continued leadership.
Infantino‘s leadership has faced public scrutiny from football’s governing bodies in Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. Both Uefa and Concacaf have issued statements criticising the plans.
Investment plan sparks controversy
Fifa and Infantino had intended to establish a commercial subsidiary, named Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage its primary events, including its World Cups. The plan involved allowing external investors to acquire minority, non-controlling stakes in this new subsidiary.
In a letter to Infantino, Uefa indicated it is “actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints” in connection with the FFE plan. Uefa has also requested the immediate preservation of all relevant documents and electronically stored information related to the investment plan.
This request covers various forms of communication, including emails, instant messages (such as WhatsApp, Signal, Teams, and Slack), SMS, written correspondence, and meeting notes. The documents sought involve any Fifa officer, employee, committee member, consultant, agent, member association, confederation, broadcaster, sponsor, or financial institution.
Uefa emphasised that these obligations supersede any routine document destruction or deletion policies that Fifa or its organisation might maintain. The European governing body asked Infantino to acknowledge receipt of its letter in writing within five business days, confirming he understood the notice and had taken steps to preserve materials.
Infantino had previously communicated to all 211 Fifa member associations that they would receive $40m if they supported his proposal. A deadline of 19 September was set for access to an initial $20m. Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, was expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE.
Growing pressure on Infantino
Wales became the first nation to publicly withdraw its support for Infantino‘s re-election bid for the 2027-2031 term. The Football Association of Wales (FAW) cited a “loss of confidence” due to what it described as “failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement.”
The FAW stated that Infantino had lost their confidence to lead world football, particularly due to a perceived failure to prioritise the best interests of the sport. The lucrative investment plan had previously triggered widespread criticism, with Uefa even threatening to boycott all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup.
Despite the growing opposition, Infantino still retains support from some regions. Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka have pledged their continued backing for his leadership. The Asian Football Federation (AFC) has expressed solidarity with Uefa and Concacaf, while Africa, Conmebol, and Oceania have not publicly criticised Infantino‘s plan.
The pressure on Infantino is escalating, with Uefa driving much of the opposition regarding the FFE situation. The demand for the preservation of documents is seen as a further escalation in the ongoing dispute between the two organisations.
If Infantino remains in his position until March, he could seek re-election for a fourth and final term as president, requiring 106 votes from Fifa‘s 211 members to secure a win. The distribution of votes among confederations is as follows: Uefa has 55 votes, Africa 54, Asia 46, Concacaf 35, Oceania 11, and Conmebol 10.
An emergency meeting of the Fifa Council could potentially force Infantino to resign. Such a meeting would be triggered if 19 of the 37 Fifa Council members call for it, and it would need to take place within two weeks. The composition of the Fifa Council includes nine members from Uefa, seven from the AFC, five from Concacaf, six from Africa, five from Conmebol, and three from Oceania, along with Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.
It remains uncertain whether the threat of legal action and the withdrawal of support from European member associations will prompt Infantino to reconsider his position. However, Uefa hopes these actions will help secure the 19 votes needed to initiate an emergency meeting of the Fifa Council, where a demand for Infantino‘s resignation could be made.
A motion for such a meeting will not be submitted until the necessary number of votes is confirmed. The situation is considered delicately balanced, as Uefa aims to avoid being perceived as dictating terms to the rest of the world, while Infantino maintains significant support outside of Europe and the Concacaf region. Opposition solely from these two confederations may not be sufficient to unseat him, leading to ongoing efforts behind the scenes to persuade other countries to join the movement.
Source: bbc.co.uk