JUST IN: UEFA opens criminal proceedings against FIFA, Infantino

UEFA has initiated criminal proceedings against FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, regarding a scrapped plan to sell commercial rights to FIFA competitions to private investors. Documents provided to BBC Sport reveal UEFA's request for access to evidence and documents to use in the proceedings in Switzerland. This move came after Infantino announced in July 2026 plans to transfer the commercial rights to the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup to a new FIFA subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, without consulting FIFA Council, UEFA, other confederations or any of FIFA's 211 member associations.

The application stated that Infantino purportedly acted on behalf of FIFA and announced the plan publicly without any prior consultation. It also alleged that the announcement was the public unveiling of a secretly developed plan by Infantino and a small group of associates for over a year. Although the investment structure has been abandoned, UEFA's legal action may lead to increased scrutiny of FIFA's governance and the management of commercial rights for its major events.

The proceedings are being pursued in Switzerland, where FIFA's headquarters are located, as UEFA seeks relevant documents and evidence to support its claims.