FIFA calls UEFA’s court action a ‘smear campaign’ over Gianni Infantino’s failed World Cup investment plan

FIFA has accused European football's governing body, UEFA, of conducting a “smear campaign” against the organization and its leadership over FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s unsuccessful proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions.

The accusation came in a court filing on Thursday, after UEFA last week submitted requests in three US courts seeking evidence related to Infantino’s proposal.

“While these applications are styled as legal pleadings with captions and docket numbers, they are little more than press releases in further support of UEFA’s smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership,” FIFA said in a filing with the US District Court in Colorado.

FIFA’s Colorado filing sought to intervene in the matter and asked the court to either postpone or dismiss the discovery process.

UEFA seeks documents from Josh Kushner, advisers

One of UEFA’s requests was submitted in the Southern District of New York and seeks documents from Josh Kushner and his investment firm, Thrive Capital Management. Kushner's elder brother, Jared Kushner, is the brother-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

Thrive was involved in Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity for $4.2 billion. FIFA withdrew the proposal on 1 August, just days after it was made public, after intense pushback.

Other court filings seeking discovery related to the World Cup sell-off were filed in Florida, where FIFA had its World Cup 2026 operational base, and in Colorado, against an adviser to Infantino, Greg Maffei, once the CEO of Liberty Media.

In a statement to Axios on Monday, Kushner defended the proposal but said he did not anticipate the pushback.

“While we stand behind the motivations of FFE, we failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football, and the lengths some would go to. Thrive has a long track record of being a partner to all constituents. Had we known what this would devolve into, we would not have gotten involved,” the statement said.

Kushner also agreed last month to purchase the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers with partner Bob Iger.

UEFA has said in court documents that it is preparing a criminal complaint against Infantino in Swiss courts for possible financial mismanagement.

“Infantino claimed that the plan would ‘unleash the commercial potential and opportunity that FIFA has,’” UEFA lawyers told the courts.

“In truth, it was a vehicle for Infantino and that small circle to acquire a permanent stake in and otherwise profit from FIFA’s most valuable assets to the detriment of FIFA, its members, and other parties within the football family.”

FIFA argued that UEFA’s request “suffers from a fundamental defect: UEFA seeks discovery in aid of a foreign criminal proceeding that does not exist and that UEFA admittedly lacks the authority to initiate.”

In the filing, FIFA accused UEFA of coercing its European federations to oppose the plan.

(With agency inputs)