UEFA Pursues Criminal Charges Against Gianni Infantino Over Failed World Cup Sale

Swiss Criminal Code and the World Cup Stake Proposal

According to reporting from the Daily Mail, European football’s governing body stated it is preparing to bring criminal claims under the Swiss criminal code regarding the secretive structuring, valuation, financing, and marketing of the dropped proposal. UEFA pointed to Swiss code provisions stating that individuals entrusted with property management who breach duties and cause financial loss face custodial sentences not exceeding three years. That potential sentence rises to five years if offenders act with the intention of securing unlawful gain for themselves or others. The Independent reported that a 56-page legal document filed in Florida by UEFA lawyers accuses Infantino of attempting to sell a 20 percent stake in the tournament to private investors for $4.2 billion. UEFA characterized that figure as an absurdly low enterprise value. The filings name FIFA entities and Thrive Capital, a firm headed by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. UEFA claims the deal lacked an open, competitive auction or independent valuation, which directly damaged the commercial and reputational interests of UEFA and its 55 members.

Boycott Threats and Executive Committee Response

National association representatives serving on UEFA’s executive committee met in Monaco ahead of the Champions League draw to discuss the unfolding crisis, according to the Daily Mail. Following the summit, participants unanimously mandated the UEFA president and administration to pursue every available institutional, political, and legal avenue to secure fundamental reform. UEFA initially threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments in protest of the sell-off proposals, according to both outlets. Those boycott plans were withdrawn after European officials received assurances from Infantino that there would be no repeat of the sell-off. However, UEFA maintained that the abandonment of the proposal did not erase the deception, intimidation, and abuse of power that enabled it.

FIFA cannot investigate itself.

UEFA UEFA officials stated that trust in Infantino is broken and cannot be restored, vowing to seek a credible alternative should he stand for re-election next year, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Reserves and Future Institutional Reform

In addition to pursuing criminal proceedings in Switzerland and seeking evidence from Florida-based FIFA entities, UEFA targeted FIFA’s financial reserves. According to Daily Mail reporting, UEFA noted that FIFA holds billions of dollars in reserves belonging to the Member Associations and vowed to explore the responsible release of those funds worldwide to drum up support for alternative governance. UEFA stated that FIFA must be governed as an institution serving football rather than operating as an instrument of individual power, pushing to restore proper limits on presidential authority.