European football's governing body has initiated criminal legal proceedings against Fifa and its president Gianni Infantino in connection with a now-abandoned proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other major competitions to private investors.
Legal documents reviewed by a national broadcaster's report reveal that Uefa has submitted an application in Switzerland seeking access to evidence and materials for use in criminal proceedings targeting both Infantino personally and Fifa as an organisation.
The application states that on 28 July 2026, Infantino made a public announcement regarding a plan to transfer commercial rights to the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup into a newly created subsidiary called Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). According to the filing, this announcement occurred without consultation with the Fifa Council, Uefa, the other continental confederations, or any of Fifa's 211 member associations.
The legal document characterises the initiative as
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.
This criminal action represents an escalation in the dispute between European football and Fifa leadership. Uefa had previously signalled its loss of confidence in Infantino's leadership following the announcement of the investment scheme, with the continental body warning of potential legal consequences.
The controversy intensified over subsequent weeks, with Uefa convening an emergency virtual meeting on 30 July 2026 to address the proposal and coordinate a response among its member associations. The tension between the organisations deepened further as Fifa accused critics of mounting a concerted effort to undermine Infantino, while Uefa maintained its threat to withdraw from competitions.
The criminal proceedings now underway in Switzerland represent a formal legal challenge to both the decision-making process and the individuals involved in formulating the FFE proposal, marking a significant development in the governance crisis affecting international football.
