FIFA accuses UEFA of orchestrating a disinformation campaign to influence the elections for the organization's presidency

FIFA accuses UEFA of conducting a disinformation campaign and attempting to influence the election for the presidency of world football’s governing body, after the European organization asked a United States court for access to documents and depositions related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.

UEFA claims that FIFA President Gianni Infantino secretly devised a plan to transfer the commercial rights to the World Cup to FFE, without consulting the FIFA Council, the regional confederations, or the member associations. The European governing body intends to file a criminal complaint in Switzerland.

In a document submitted to the federal court in Florida, FIFA rejected the accusations and dismissed as unfounded suggestions of any potential personal benefit for Infantino. The organization states that the project required approval from its governing structures and that FFE’s equity valuation was $20 billion, while its total enterprise value exceeded $30 billion.

The project was abandoned in July after opposition from several confederations, including UEFA. Infantino is running for a new term in March next year, and FIFA maintains that the European governing body’s legal actions are intended to influence the election.

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