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FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing a growing legal battle with UEFA over a controversial $4.2 billion deal that could expose him to criminal proceedings in Switzerland.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, is considering launching criminal proceedings against Infantino while pursuing legal action in the United States over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.
The dispute centres on a proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA’s commercial and event operations to Thrive Eternal, a US investment fund founded by Joshua Kushner, for $4.2 billion.
UEFA, which has repeatedly called for Infantino’s resignation, accused him in a US legal filing of promoting what it described as a “fraudulently off-market price for his own benefit”.
The filing, made on August 28, alleged that the valuation was “absurdly low” and was neither determined through an open, competitive auction nor subjected to an independent valuation. FIFA has yet to respond to the allegations.
Although UEFA’s legal action is directed at Infantino, FIFA is expected to cover his legal costs because he was acting in his official capacity as president when the FFE proposal was being pursued.
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FIFA’s 2025 annual report showed that the organisation spent almost $34 million on legal costs during the year, up from $14.5 million in 2024. The expenditure covered legal disputes, consultations, investigations and governance-related matters.
UEFA has also filed requests seeking documents from Thrive, Kushner and JPMorgan in New York, as well as Bann Ventures and its chief executive, Greg Maffei, in Colorado. JPMorgan and Bann Ventures had been named by FIFA as partners in the FFE project.
Kushner, commenting publicly for the first time since the collapse of the project, said Thrive had underestimated the political dynamics of global football. He maintained that FFE was designed to channel more capital towards FIFA’s 211 member associations, particularly less-developed football markets.
Despite the mounting pressure, Infantino has resisted calls for his resignation, with support still coming from some member associations in Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, including Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The contest over FIFA’s leadership is expected to intensify before the November 18 deadline for presidential candidates, with the election scheduled to take place at the FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, in March.
