UEFA seeks US records before proposed Swiss complaint over FIFA enterprise plan

UEFA is preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against FIFA president Gianni Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials and advisers over alleged criminal mismanagement, according to reporting by The Guardian. The planned action concerns the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise plan and cites Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code. No finding of wrongdoing has been made.

As part of its preparations, UEFA has filed separate applications in the United States seeking the release of information, including records from FIFA. The Guardian reported that UEFA is using a Section 1782 order, a procedure through which an interested party in a foreign legal proceeding can ask a US court for discovery from an entity located in the United States.

The court papers focus on the proposed valuation behind Infantino's enterprise scheme. According to the documents described by The Guardian, the plan contemplated selling a 20% interest in FIFA tournaments for $4.2 billion, implying a total enterprise value of about $20 billion. The filing characterises that implied valuation as extremely low and alleges that it was not produced through an open, competitive auction or tested by an independent valuer.

UEFA's lawyers also sent a preservation notice to Infantino and FIFA this month. The notice instructed them to identify, locate and retain documents and electronically stored information falling within its scope. Fourteen executives were named and directed to preserve relevant material in their possession, custody or control, according to the report.

The procedural position remains important: UEFA is gathering information while preparing possible claims, rather than reporting a completed criminal judgment or an established offence. The wording in the US request refers to claims against Infantino and possible other FIFA officials and advisers, leaving both the eventual list of respondents and the final scope of any Swiss complaint unresolved.

The dispute therefore centres on how the FIFA tournament stake was valued, what process produced the proposed $4.2 billion price and which records exist concerning the plan's development. The Guardian said FIFA had been contacted for comment; its report did not include a response. Until the evidence-gathering applications and any later Swiss proceedings advance, the claims remain allegations made in preparation for prospective legal action.