UEFA Files US Subpoena Requests Over FIFA's Collapsed World Cup Sale, Weighs Criminal Complaint Against Infantino

The Deal That Fell Apart in Two Weeks

Gianni Infantino spent roughly a year building a plan to sell a piece of the World Cup's commercial rights to outside investors. It took about two weeks to blow up once details leaked.

The plan centered on a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, that would have pooled commercial management of FIFA's men's and women's World Cups under one roof. FIFA planned to sell a minority stake of roughly 20-21% for about $4.2 billion, implying a $20 billion valuation for the entity. The anchor investor was Thrive Capital, the venture firm founded by Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, according to the Associated Press.

Infantino built the proposal with minimal internal consultation and pushed it toward an internal vote in mid-July 2026, keeping most of FIFA's own governing council in the dark until late in the process. Italian lawyer Mario Gallavotti, who has worked with Infantino for more than two decades out of FIFA's Zurich headquarters, coordinated the effort behind the scenes.

The pitch to FIFA's 211 member associations was real money. Associations currently receive between $8 million and $10 million each under existing development programs. The FFE plan would have pushed that as high as $40 million per association starting in 2027. That's the strongest argument in favor of the deal: smaller football federations around the world stood to get a substantial funding increase, and Infantino's camp framed it as a way to fund the sport globally without raising costs on fans or broadcasters.

That argument didn't survive contact with FIFA's own council. When details leaked in late July, council members who'd been cut out of the process publicly attacked both the substance of the plan and how it was built. Infantino formally withdrew the proposal on July 31, 2026.

UEFA Takes It to Court

The story didn't end with the withdrawal. The Associated Press reported on Thursday, August 27, that attorneys for UEFA, European soccer's governing body, filed discovery requests in two US courts seeking records tied to the scrapped deal.

In New York, UEFA asked the court to subpoena Thrive Capital Management. In Florida, UEFA sought subpoenas for files held by FIFA Americas and FWC2026, two FIFA-affiliated entities based in the state.

UEFA's attorneys told the AP they are "contemplating a Swiss criminal proceeding against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials for criminal mismanagement." They accused Infantino of building the FFE vehicle so he and his allies could "acquire a permanent stake in and otherwise profit from FIFA's most valuable assets to the detriment of FIFA, its members, and other parties within the football family," according to the AP as cited by Common Dreams.

Those are allegations from an opposing organization's lawyers, not findings from a court or prosecutor. No Swiss authority has opened a criminal investigation, and no charges have been filed against Infantino or anyone else. UEFA's own filings describe the potential criminal complaint as something it is still weighing, not something it has brought.

UEFA isn't a neutral bystander here. FIFA and UEFA have clashed for years over tournament scheduling, the expanded Club World Cup, and control of the international match calendar. UEFA has an institutional interest in weakening Infantino's authority, separate from whatever the discovery process turns up.

The Trump Angle

Common Dreams' coverage leaned heavily on Infantino's relationship with President Trump, noting that Infantino awarded Trump the first-ever "FIFA Peace Prize" in 2025, less than two months before US strikes on Iran, and that the Trump administration pressured FIFA into dropping a suspension for US Men's National Team player Folarin Balogun during this year's World Cup. Common Dreams' headline calls Infantino "Trump-Loving" and says he "faces a criminal probe," which overstates where things actually stand. What's confirmed is a discovery request and a stated intention to consider legal action, not an open investigation.

The Kushner family tie is real and relevant to questions about conflicts of interest in the deal. Josh Kushner runs Thrive Capital; Jared Kushner is Trump's son-in-law and former senior White House adviser. Whether that connection played any role in how the FFE deal was structured is exactly what UEFA's discovery requests are trying to establish. It hasn't been established yet.

What Happens Next

The New York and Florida courts still have to rule on whether to grant UEFA's subpoena requests. If they do, documents from Thrive Capital and FIFA's US-based entities could become public, or at least available to UEFA's lawyers. Swiss prosecutors have not announced any action. Until they do, the criminal complaint UEFA says it's considering remains exactly that: considered, not filed.