UEFA issue legal threat to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino and warn against destroying evidence after botched World Cup sale

Infantino’s grand vision for a $20 billion commercial subsidiary, known as FFE, spectacularly backfired earlier this week. The plan involved selling a 20 percent stake in FIFA's most valuable assets to a private investor group, reportedly anchored by a New York investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of United States President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. However, the proposal triggered a wave of condemnation, with UEFA leading its 55 member associations in a threat to boycott all FIFA competitions if the project proceeded.

Faced with an unprecedented internal and external rebellion, Infantino was forced into a humiliating U-turn. In a statement confirming the project’s cancellation, the FIFA president admitted: "Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place."

Following the collapse of the FFE project, UEFA has explicitly warned Infantino and FIFA that any attempt to delete or alter documents regarding the failed plan could be viewed as a criminal act. According to a letter seen by the Telegraph, the European governing body wrote: "UEFA hereby gives formal notice that it is actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints (together, the "proceedings") arising out of and in connection with the FFE plan proposed by FIFA and all related matters as further described below.

"You and FIFA are required to take immediate steps to identify, locate, and preserve all documents and electronically stored information described in this notice that are in your or FIFA's possession, custody, or control.

"These obligations arise independently of any internal retention policy you or your organisation maintain and supersede any routine document destruction or deletion policies that would otherwise apply.

"Given that proceedings are reasonably anticipated, you are obliged to preserve all relevant materials (as defined below) with immediate effect."

Beyond demanding a suspension of document deletion, the European governing body heavily criticised the integrity of the proposal itself, underscoring FIFA's immediate legal duty to safeguard all relevant records.

Beyond the strict legal warnings, the governing body made sure to reiterate the widespread outrage triggered by the secret negotiations. Emphasising the broader global consensus against the commercial subsidiary, the letter continued: "UEFA – as well as other confederations, FIFA member associations, and football stakeholders – has strongly condemned the FFE plan in the strongest terms as fundamentally incompatible with the proper governance of football."

The fallout from the FFE disaster has left Infantino fighting for his political life ahead of the next elections. While he was previously expected to run unopposed, the level of distrust is now so high that a vote of no confidence is being openly discussed. The sentiment across the continent is overwhelmingly critical, with internal resignations of senior staff like senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro further isolating the president.