Fifa accuses Uefa of 'smear campaign' against Gianni Infantino
Fifa has accused Uefa of a "smear campaign against it and its leadership" over president Gianni Infantino's scrapped plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
TL;DR
- Fifa accuses Uefa of a "smear campaign" and "criminal mismanagement" over Infantino's shelved World Cup investment plan.
- Uefa filed legal papers in the US seeking evidence related to potential criminal claims in Switzerland concerning the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme.
- Fifa argues that Uefa's economic motivation is to prevent smaller countries from becoming financially strong enough to compete with the European elite.
- The FFE scheme involved potential investment from Joshua Kushner's company Thrive Eternal for a stake in a new Fifa commercial subsidiary.
- Fifa states that the FFE was only a proposal requiring majority support from member associations and Fifa Council approval.
- Fifa claims Uefa's actions undermine the democratic process and seek to maintain Uefa's market power.