Fifa disputes Uefa allegations as Infantino signals more funding for members

Fifa has challenged Uefa’s attempt to obtain documents through a US court, rejecting allegations concerning president Gianni Infantino and accusing the European governing body of trying to influence its presidential election. BBC Sport reported that Fifa submitted its response in the Southern District of Florida on Monday night.

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Uefa’s application last month sought evidence relating to the abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme and raised the possibility of a criminal complaint in Switzerland. It alleged mismanagement and claimed Infantino had promoted an improperly priced arrangement for personal benefit. Those are Uefa’s allegations, which Fifa disputes.

In opposing disclosure, Fifa said the accusations were unfounded and challenged the breadth of the request. BBC Sport said it had approached Uefa for a response. The report described competing submissions, not a court ruling establishing wrongdoing by Infantino or resolving the disclosure request.

The dispute centres on a withdrawn proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. In separate reporting, BBC Sport said Infantino had again defended the scheme as an effort to increase football funding, while indicating that more money could instead be distributed from Fifa’s reserves.

That position appeared in a letter sent on Monday to all six continental confederations and seen by the BBC. Fifa’s cash reserves were estimated at £4.4bn. Infantino supported providing as much additional funding as could responsibly be made available, but stopped short of endorsing a specific payment to each member association.

Uefa and Concacaf have requested payments of $10m, equivalent to £7.5m, for each of Fifa’s 211 members. The Fifa Council is due to consider that proposal on 15 October. Infantino’s letter did not settle the amount, leaving the requested distribution as a proposal rather than an agreed allocation of the governing body’s reserves.

The BBC also reported that Football Association chair and Fifa vice-president Debbie Hewitt had called for disclosure of the scheme’s documents and an independent review. Infantino is due to seek election for a fourth time in March 2027; opponents have until 18 November to identify an alternative candidate.