Uefa is considering legal action against Fifa following proposals to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors. This development comes as support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino appears to be diminishing among some football associations.
The English Football Association is expected to formally withdraw its backing for Infantino, following a similar move by the Football Association of Wales. These actions are part of a broader reaction to Infantino’s plans, which involved creating a commercial subsidiary, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage Fifa’s main events, including its World Cups.
Concerns over investment scheme
Under the proposed FFE scheme, external investors would have been able to acquire minority, non-controlling stakes in the new subsidiary. Uefa, however, has expressed strong opposition to these plans, describing them as “secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game.”
The European governing body sent a letter to Infantino stating it is “actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints” related to the FFE plan. Uefa also demanded the preservation of all relevant documents and electronically stored information concerning the investment plan, including emails, instant messages, SMS, and meeting notes, from Fifa and its affiliates.
This request specifically mentioned documents related to a payment structure for Fifa member associations, which reportedly involved a sum of $40m if they supported the proposal, with an initial $20m accessible by a 19 September deadline.
Uefa has asked Infantino to acknowledge receipt of its letter within five business days and confirm that steps have been taken to preserve all relevant materials.
Growing opposition and potential consequences
The opposition to Infantino’s leadership extends beyond Uefa. Football’s governing bodies in Europe, North and Central America, and the Caribbean, including Concacaf, have publicly questioned his leadership. The Asian Football Federation (AFC) has also expressed solidarity with Uefa and Concacaf.
The Football Association of Wales cited “failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgment” as reasons for withdrawing its support for Infantino’s re-election for the 2027–2031 term. The Football Association of Finland was also reported to have withdrawn its support earlier.
Despite the growing pressure, Infantino reportedly retains support in other regions, with countries such as Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka pledging their continued backing. If Infantino remains in his position until March, he could seek re-election for a fourth and final term, requiring 106 votes from Fifa’s 211 members.
The Fifa Council could potentially force Infantino’s resignation through an emergency meeting, which would be triggered if 19 of its 37 members call for one. Such a meeting would need to occur within two weeks of the request. Uefa has nine members on the council, AFC has seven, Concacaf five, Africa six, and Conmebol five, with Oceania contributing three, alongside Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. Efforts are reportedly underway to gather the necessary support from confederations outside Europe and Concacaf to potentially trigger such a meeting.
Uefa has stated its intention to work with its associations and other confederations to review how the FFE situation developed and to devise a plan to prevent similar occurrences in the future, emphasising that “no option should be off the table.”
The European body also highlighted that Fifa’s reserves stand at over $5bn, suggesting these funds should be used for football development rather than private investment schemes. Uefa plans to propose a new method for distributing resources through the existing Fifa Forward programme, aiming to utilise these funds for grassroots and wider football development in Fifa’s 211 member countries.
The English Football Association has called for a “full and robust review of Fifa’s leadership and governance.”
Source: bbc.co.uk
As News-UK's Sports News Writer, Oscar Pennington reports on rugby union, golf and boxing for readers across the country. He built a reputation for sharp explainer pieces on regional sport. He holds a degree in Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Oscar lives in Nottingham, where he follows the pro golf tour and amateur boxing. “Context is what turns a result into a story.”
