FIFA Accuses UEFA of 'Harassment' in Court Filing Days After Denying It Hired a PR Firm for Infantino

Since FIFA abandoned its plan to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights in July, the fight over Gianni Infantino's leadership has moved from confederation boardrooms into U.S. federal courthouses. FIFA filed a formal legal response Monday, September 28, accusing UEFA of waging a bad-faith campaign to knock Infantino out of the March 2027 FIFA presidential race in Rabat, Morocco.

The filing, submitted in the Southern District of Florida and reported by The Associated Press for CBC Sports, Reuters, and The Guardian, urges a judge to reject UEFA's request for discovery of documents and testimony. UEFA wants that material to build a criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland over what it calls 'criminal mismanagement.'

What UEFA Alleges

The dispute centers on FIFA Forward Enterprise, a subsidiary Infantino proposed last month that would have sold roughly a 20% stake in World Cup commercial rights to outside investors, including Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital, for $4.2 billion. That deal implied an equity valuation near $20 billion.

UEFA's court filing, according to Reuters, alleges Infantino developed the plan in secret with a small group of advisers, bypassing FIFA's council, regional confederations, and member associations. UEFA also argues the $20 billion figure undervalued FIFA's commercial rights, since no public auction or independent valuation was conducted. The Daily Mirror reported UEFA's filing went further, describing the pricing as 'fraudulently off-market' and benefiting Infantino personally.

A plan to sell a chunk of soccer's biggest revenue source was drawn up without sign-off from the confederations that actually run the sport. English FA chair Debbie Hewitt has separately demanded answers from Infantino over FFE, according to the Mirror, alongside unrelated questions about a reversed red card involving USA player Folarin Balogun.

FIFA's Rebuttal

FIFA's filing directly denies that Infantino sought personal gain, stating the FFE proposal 'was subject to approval by both the FIFA member associations and FIFA Council, and FFE would have been subject to oversight by both groups within FIFA.' FIFA also disputes UEFA's valuation math, arguing UEFA conflated equity value with enterprise value. FIFA says the $20 billion figure was the equity valuation only, while FFE's total enterprise value was 'well over $30 billion,' according to the filing cited by Reuters, the Guardian, and Punch Nigeria.

FIFA's lawyers go on offense, arguing UEFA's court filings were 'made in bad faith and for the purpose of harassment' and timed to influence the election, with candidate nominations closing November 18 ahead of the March vote. Neither side's claim about motive has been tested in court, and no criminal complaint has actually been filed in Switzerland yet, no charges exist, and no judge has ruled on the discovery request.

Infantino, for his part, wrote to FIFA's 211 member federations this month pledging to expand funding distributions and insisting the FFE plan was meant to generate more money for football, according to AFP's reporting carried by Punch Nigeria. His remaining base of support is broad. Saudi Arabia, host of the 2034 World Cup, along with CAF, CONMEBOL, and the eight-nation Gulf Football Federation have all publicly backed his reelection bid, per Reuters and Punch.

A Separate PR Problem

Parallel to the court fight, FIFA has its own credibility issue. The New York Post reported Friday, September 25, that FIFA had hired Sir Martin Sorrell's London firm Monks to help rehabilitate Infantino's image, and FIFA issued a blanket denial, refusing to release any contract and calling it 'demonstrably false' to link the hire to the election.

Three days later, on Monday, Monks' Sarah Jackson sent an international media pitch, obtained by the Post, explicitly built around Infantino's Caribbean trip and the approaching 2027 election. The email compiled quotes from regional football officials, including Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts and British Virgin Islands FA president Avanell Morton, both praising increased FIFA funding under Infantino, and pitched the material as a way to counter criticism from CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.

That timeline is hard to square with FIFA's denial. Whatever the contractual arrangement with Monks turns out to be, a firm working on Infantino's behalf was actively pitching pro-Infantino talking points to journalists within days of FIFA insisting no such campaign existed.

The unresolved questions now sit with a federal judge in Florida, who must decide whether to grant UEFA's discovery request, and with FIFA's 211 member associations, who will decide by November 18 whether anyone challenges Infantino for the presidency in March.