FIFA Accuses UEFA of 'Misinformation Campaign' Amid Escalating Governance Dispute and Presidency Race

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has faced criticism from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in recent months, as football's global governing body accuses UEFA of waging a 'misinformation campaign' and trying to influence the upcoming presidential race amid a growing governance crisis.

On Tuesday, FIFA urged a court in the United States to reject UEFA's discovery request, which is linked to a controversial investment proposal by Gianni Infantino regarding rights to the World Cup. Last month, UEFA asked a US federal court for permission to obtain testimony and documents for a planned criminal complaint in Switzerland against Gianni Infantino over a now-abandoned plan to transfer World Cup commercial rights into a subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

Responding in a legal filing in the Southern District of Florida, FIFA stated that UEFA's brief contained numerous false or misleading statements about both FIFA and Gianni Infantino. FIFA argued that UEFA suggested, without any basis, that Gianni Infantino sought to profit personally from the FFE proposal. According to FIFA, the FFE plan was subject to approval and oversight by both FIFA member associations and the FIFA Council, and any suggestions that Gianni Infantino violated laws or ethical principles were entirely without merit.

UEFA previously alleged that Gianni Infantino developed the proposal in secret with a small group of advisers and investors, bypassing normal governance processes and failing to consult the FIFA Council, regional confederations, or member associations. The European body claimed investors would have paid $4.2bn for a stake in FFE, valuing the business at about $20bn, which UEFA argued significantly undervalued FIFA's commercial rights without an open auction or independent valuation.

Refuting these claims, FIFA stated that UEFA conflated equity value with enterprise value. FIFA explained that FFE's initial equity valuation was $20bn, while its total enterprise value was well over $30bn, surpassing the figures cited by UEFA.

The FFE project was ultimately abandoned in July following opposition from confederations—including UEFA, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, and the Asian Football Confederation—over a lack of consultation. Following the dispute, Gianni Infantino wrote to all 211 member associations proposing an independent review of decision-making processes ahead of his bid for re-election in March.

FIFA asserted that UEFA's legal filings are a deliberate attempt to influence the election. Meanwhile, Gianni Infantino expressed willingness to discuss the disbursement of millions of dollars to member associations, with exact amounts scheduled for the FIFA Council's October 15 meeting agenda.