European football’s governing body Uefa has threatened Fifa with legal action following the collapse of Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to private investors.
Uefa has also demanded that any potential evidence related to the scheme be preserved.
The secretive proposal, which aimed to raise $4.2bn from investors including the New York firm of Joshua Kushner, was abandoned on Saturday after media reports sparked a global furore. Uefa had led the backlash, with its 55 member federations agreeing last week to boycott all Fifa events and competitions should the plan proceed.
Lawyers representing Uefa have now informed Fifa that the European body is "actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints... arising out of and in connection with the FFE (Fifa Forward Enterprise) plan proposed by Fifa and all related matters."
A letter from the legal firm Dechert in New York, dated Friday and seen by The Associated Press on Monday, named 18 Fifa executives who should retain data, documents, and electronic messages as potential evidence.
The letter warned: "Uefa puts you on formal notice that any destruction, deletion, alteration, concealment, or loss of relevant materials following receipt of this notice — or following any earlier date on which you were, or reasonably should have been, aware that proceedings were anticipated — may constitute spoliation of evidence."
On Saturday, Uefa signalled its desire to end Mr Infantino’s presidency, stating he had lost the confidence of world football and that "no option should be off the table." Hours earlier, Infantino had withdrawn the divisive proposal, which offered FIFA’s 211 member federations one-off payments of $20m each with a mid-September deadline to accept.
The FFE spin-off, valued by Fifa at $20bn, would have taken control of the football body’s lucrative commercial and tournament operations. Fifa’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, described it as "the project of just one man”, in a stinging statement to the AP, adding that staff felt deceived by Infantino.
Uefa’s lawyer, Andrew J. Levander, stated that legal proceedings are "reasonably anticipated," citing the belief among football stakeholders that the plan was "fundamentally incompatible with the proper governance of football."
While Uefa has been the most vocal opponent, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf (the North, Central American, and Caribbean body) have also issued strong statements against Infantino’s initiative.
He retains significant support from his traditional base in Africa, and South America’s Conmebol is relying on him to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams from 48, which would benefit potential co-hosts Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
The private equity plan has caused a stunning reversal of fortunes for Infantino, who had been widely expected to be re-elected unopposed next March for a fourth and final term through 2031. The spin-off operation could have created a commissioner-like role for him beyond 2031, offering a significantly higher salary than his current $6m annual deal.
Fifa had previously indicated that Infantino had pledged letters of support from approximately 200 of the 211 member federations, but these are now likely being withdrawn across Europe, with the Welsh federation being the first to announce its reversal.
The candidate deadline for the upcoming election is 18 November, with the vote scheduled for exactly four months later in Morocco, one of Infantino’s strongest allies and a co-host of the 2030 tournament alongside Spain and Portugal.
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