LONDON
UEFA, European football’s governing body, is preparing to file criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over his controversial plan to sell shares in the World Cup, according to official legal filings in media reports.
The details emerged in new court documents after UEFA subpoenaed FIFA and financial institutions in the US involved in the defunct scheme for relevant records while the planned legal challenge is set to be launched in Switzerland, where the main headquarters of world football’s governing body is located.
A legal document seen by Sky News said: “UEFA and other interested parties are preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisors for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code … arising out of the secretive structuring, valuation, financing, and marketing of a transaction that inflicted direct and concrete injury on FIFA’s reputation, governance authority, and commercial relationships to the detriment of FIFA as well as its 211 members, including UEFA’s 55 member associations.”
Infantino has faced growing pressure since launching this summer’s now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which involved selling stakes in a company controlling commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors.
The proposal was withdrawn following widespread opposition, but several national associations and continental governing bodies have continued to question Infantino’s leadership ahead of leadership elections set for next March.
