In FIFA-UEFA tussle, European body accused of ‘misinformation campaign’

What the report says

FIFA has accused UEFA of spreading false or misleading claims in a legal dispute tied to a shelved commercial rights proposal and to the upcoming FIFA presidential election. In a court filing in the United States, FIFA urged a federal court in Florida to reject UEFA’s request for evidence linked to a planned complaint in Switzerland against FIFA president Gianni Infantino. FIFA said UEFA was trying to shape the election race while presenting inaccurate allegations about the former plan to move World Cup commercial rights into a subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise.

According to Al Jazeera’s report of the Reuters story, UEFA had asked the US court for documents and testimony after saying Infantino developed the proposal privately with a small group of advisers and investors. UEFA argued the plan bypassed normal FIFA governance and undervalued the rights. FIFA rejected those claims, saying the project would still have needed approval from FIFA’s member associations and council and would have been overseen by those bodies.

The dispute comes amid wider concern over FIFA governance and Infantino’s bid for a fourth term, with the election scheduled for March. The FFE project was abandoned in July after resistance from several regional confederations, including UEFA. Last week, Infantino also proposed an independent review of FIFA’s decision-making processes, underscoring the pressure surrounding the organization as it prepares for the vote.