FIFA accuses UEFA of misinformation campaign in World Cup stake row

FIFA has accused UEFA of a "misinformation campaign" designed to damage Gianni Infantino before next year's presidential election.

The allegation came in papers filed in the Southern District of Florida. There, world football's governing body is opposing UEFA's bid to force it to hand over documents.

At the centre of the fight is FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE. It was a FIFA plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. That plan has now been shelved.

FIFA runs the World Cup. UEFA runs the European game, including the Champions League and the Euros. When the two organisations clash in court, every national association gets caught in the middle.

UEFA started this round of the legal battle by filing papers in the United States. It asked the courts to order discovery, the legal process that compels one side to disclose evidence and documents. UEFA also confirmed it had sent FIFA a document preservation letter for all material linked to Infantino's plan.

The language in UEFA's filing was severe. It accused Infantino of "criminal mismanagement" over FFE and of promoting "a fraudulently off-market price" for his own benefit, according to BBC. UEFA warned it could lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland over the matter.

FIFA rejected that account in blunt terms. It said UEFA's filing contained "numerous false or misleading statements about FIFA and Infantino" and called the request "farcically overbroad". It said there is no basis for the suggestion that Infantino sought to profit personally from the FFE proposal.

FIFA went further. It said claims that Infantino violated any law or ethical principle are without merit. It also accused UEFA of attempting to influence the race for FIFA's presidency through the courts.

Timing matters here. Infantino will stand for a fourth term in March 2027. Opponents have until 18 November to put forward an alternative candidate. FIFA's argument is that UEFA's legal pressure is part of that election contest.

The row has already split football politics. Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, has told Infantino to release all documents relating to FFE. She has called for an independent review of the scheme.

There are other courtroom fronts. FIFA previously sought to intervene and have UEFA's discovery bid deferred or dropped. UEFA has urged a US federal court to reject that intervention attempt by FIFA's American subsidiaries.

The FFE proposal itself is dead. Infantino has said he regrets the abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup. Neither he nor FIFA has been charged with wrongdoing, as reported by Reuters.

For fans, this means the argument is no longer about selling part of the World Cup. That idea has gone. It is now about power and trust, and who gets to run the world game into its next cycle.