UEFA Takes FIFA, President Infantino to Court Over Scrapped Commercial Rights Deal

UEFA has initiated criminal legal action against the global football governing body, FIFA, and its president, Gianni Infantino. This significant move stems from a previously abandoned proposal to offload stakes in the commercial rights of major tournaments, including the World Cup, and other FIFA competitions to private investors.

According to documents obtained by BBC Sport on Thursday, UEFA formally requested access to evidence and records for use in the legal proceedings currently underway in Switzerland against FIFA and its leader, Infantino.

This legal challenge by UEFA follows Infantino’s public announcement on July 28, 2026, detailing plans to consolidate the commercial rights for the men’s and women’s World Cups, alongside the Club World Cup, into a new FIFA subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise.

The documents reveal that this significant proposal was unveiled without any prior consultation with the FIFA Council, UEFA itself, other confederations, or any of FIFA’s 211 member associations. The application explicitly stated: “On July 28, 2026, without consulting the FIFA Council, UEFA, or any of the other confederations, or any of the 211 FIFA member associations, Infantino, purportedly acting on behalf of FIFA, publicly announced a plan to place the commercial rights to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup into a new subsidiary: FIFA Forward Enterprise.”

Furthermore, the application alleged that this announcement served as the public disclosure of a scheme secretly devised and developed by Infantino and a select group of associates for over a year. It stated: “That announcement by Infantino was the public unveiling of a plan that he and a small circle of co-conspirators had conceived and reportedly been developing in secret for more than a year.”

While the controversial investment structure has since been shelved, UEFA’s legal pursuit could intensify scrutiny on FIFA’s governance practices and the overall management of commercial rights for its major competitions. The proceedings are being conducted in Switzerland, the country where FIFA maintains its headquarters. UEFA’s objective is to gain access to relevant documents and other evidence pertinent to the case against FIFA and Infantino.