Uefa says it has lost confidence in the current Fifa leadership of Gianni Infantino after Fifa scrapped a controversial plan to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors. The dispute escalated further after Uefa said it was actively considering legal action and other proceedings over the proposal, while Infantino has been president of Fifa since February 2016 and has been in charge of Fifa for 10 years.
What did Fifa decide on Saturday?
On Saturday, Infantino said Fifa would no longer proceed with the proposal to sell stakes in the governing body's competitions to private investors.
Fifa and Infantino had wanted to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including its World Cups, and external investors would have been able to buy stakes in it. World football's governing body said it would
invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investmentsin a new subsidiary called Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).
Why did Uefa respond so strongly?
Uefa - which governs European football - had earlier voted to boycott World Cups if the plans went ahead, and other governing bodies also voiced their opposition. Infantino's leadership had already been publicly questioned by football's governing bodies in Europe, North and Central America and the Caribbean, with Uefa and Concacaf releasing statements criticising the plans.
On Monday, Wales became the first nation to publicly withdraw backing for Infantino's bid to continue as Fifa president.
What legal action is Uefa considering?
Uefa said in a letter to Infantino that it is
actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints (together, the 'proceedings') arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan proposed by Fifa.
It added that it wants
immediate steps to identify, locate and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or Fifa possession, custody or control.
Uefa said those obligations
arise independently of any internal retention policy you or your organisation maintain and supersede any routine document destruction or deletion policies that would otherwise apply.
What did Uefa say about Infantino's leadership?
In a lengthy statement, Uefa said Infantino had
failed to deliveron promises he made when elected in 2016.
The statement added that
The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.
BBC Sport has approached Fifa for comment.
Key Facts
- Uefa said it has lost confidence in Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
- Fifa has dropped its plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors.
- Uefa says it is considering legal action, arbitration and regulatory complaints.
- Wales became the first nation to publicly withdraw backing for Infantino's bid to continue as Fifa president.
