UEFA Prepares Criminal Complaint Against Gianni Infantino Over World Cup Sell-Off Plan
UEFA is preparing to file a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino over his failed plan to sell commercial rights to the World Cup, escalating a governance crisis that has gripped football's governing body for weeks.
According to The Guardian, UEFA and other interested parties intend to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisors, alleging "criminal mismanagement" under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code — the law that covers corporate executives who squander or mismanage their organisation's assets.
At the heart of the dispute is Infantino's secret £3.1 billion plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, a scheme that could have earned him tens of millions of pounds personally (The Guardian, 9 August). The proposal caused chaos within football's governing structures, with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf — the confederation for North and Central America — leading the opposition (The Guardian, 31 July). The plan ultimately collapsed.
UEFA had already threatened FIFA with legal action in early August over the sell-off (CNN, 3 August). What is new is the scale of the legal machinery now in motion. UEFA has applied for the release of documents related to the conception of the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, the internal name for the project. It has also made separate applications in the United States, including for information from FIFA itself.
To do this, UEFA used a legal tool known as a "section 1782" order — a US provision that lets a party involved in a foreign legal proceeding request documents and information from an entity based in America (The Guardian, 27 August). In other words, UEFA is using American courts to gather evidence it believes could support a Swiss criminal case.
The spending allegations add another layer. Infantino declared that he spent €500,000 of UEFA funds to drum up support for his plan, though sources suggested the true figure was closer to €1 million (The Guardian, 6 August). That money was allegedly used to lobby for a proposal that never came close to succeeding.
This is not the only controversy swirling around the FIFA president. Infantino has also been accused of breaking FIFA's rules on political neutrality in relation to the United States, in connection with the FIFA Peace Prize and Donald Trump (The Guardian, 9 December 2025). That allegation remains separate from the current criminal proceedings but adds to the picture of a president under mounting pressure.
FIFA was contacted by The Guardian for comment on UEFA's applications. No response has been reported.
For fans, the details may feel distant from the pitch. But the governance of football shapes everything that happens on it — who hosts the World Cup, how the money flows, and who holds the ultimate power in the game. A criminal complaint against the most powerful figure in world football is not a routine dispute. It is a direct challenge to his authority and, potentially, his tenure.
The reaction from within football was already sharp before the legal threats turned criminal. Commentators condemned the sell-off plan in stark terms, with one calling it "the lowest, most deceitful" scheme and declaring simply: "Infantino must go" (The Guardian, 5 August).
The next moves belong to the Swiss authorities, who would decide whether to open a formal investigation, and to Infantino, who has not publicly responded to the latest development.
