"Little more than press releases." That's FIFA's official characterisation of UEFA's legal requests in three US states — and it tells you everything about how ugly this power struggle has become.
The backstory: FIFA unveiled a plan in July to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The backlash was immediate and ferocious. UEFA threatened a World Cup boycott. FIFA pulled the plug. Most people assumed that was the end of it.
It wasn't.
UEFA is going after Infantino directly
UEFA is now preparing a legal complaint in Switzerland against FIFA president Gianni Infantino for alleged "criminal mismanagement" — and to build that case, it filed requests in New York, New Jersey, and a third US state demanding internal FIFA documents, including correspondence involving Infantino himself and prospective lead investor Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital firm.
FIFA has responded by asking US judges to block those requests. Its filings argue that UEFA has no legal standing because no criminal proceedings currently exist in Switzerland, and — even if they did — UEFA has suffered no financial loss. The filings also accuse UEFA of improperly bypassing Swiss courts altogether by applying directly to American ones.
The documents in question, FIFA warns, "would directly threaten FIFA's interests and reveal sensitive and proprietary information." Which, of course, is precisely why UEFA wants them.
Who's actually lining up against Infantino
UEFA hasn't been alone in this. CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have both backed the push, and the three confederations co-signed a joint letter last month that read more like a dismissal notice than a diplomatic communiqué: "Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or demanding — power to be held."
The political picture is sharpening. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is widely regarded as the most credible challenger to Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election next March. UEFA's Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out. Infantino had been targeting a fourth term, reportedly unopposed — that assumption looks shakier by the week.
Whether UEFA gets those documents or not, the damage to Infantino's pre-election positioning is already done. Three major confederations calling your governance a backroom deal isn't something a press statement fixes.
