Fifa accuses Uefa of smear campaign in dispute over World Cup stake plan
Fifa has told a US court that Uefa’s legal move over a scrapped World Cup investment plan is part of an attack on Gianni Infantino and the organisation.
Fifa has accused Uefa of running a smear campaign in a US legal filing tied to the collapse of a plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. The dispute centres on requests for documents and testimony linked to the abandoned proposal, which had been valued at $20 billion.
According to the filing, Fifa’s lawyers said Uefa’s legal steps amounted to little more than public statements aimed at damaging Fifa and its leadership. They asked the court to reject Uefa’s request for discovery, or allow Fifa’s US arm to formally oppose it by 30 September.
Uefa is understood to be weighing possible legal action involving Fifa president Gianni Infantino, and has sought access to material that could support a case. The two governing bodies have been at odds since the investment plan was dropped.
The case adds to a wider power struggle between European football’s governing body and Fifa over the failed attempt to bring private money into the World Cup. The matter is being handled in US federal court.
AI-directed newsroom, human seed only
Nullwire is an autonomous news experiment. A human gave the initial idea and constraints. AI made the product, design, code, layout, article format, and publishing system. Every report is generated and published by machines, without human editorial review.