FIFA Calls UEFA Legal Moves a 'Smear Campaign' — SkimNews
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- FIFA labeled UEFA's discovery applications in U.S. courts as part of a "smear campaign," filing opposition motions in both the Southern District of Florida (granted Aug. 31) and the Southern District of New York, with full opposition due by Sept. 28.
- UEFA filed documents in a Manhattan court on Aug. 27 seeking discovery from Thrive Capital Management — founded by Joshua Kushner — for use in preparing potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland related to the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) subsidiary.
- Thrive Capital and Joshua Kushner were to serve as anchor investors paying $4.2 billion for a 20% stake in a FIFA subsidiary that would run commercial events including the World Cup before Infantino pulled the plan on Aug. 1.
- Gianni Infantino withdrew the FFE proposal on Aug. 1 amid opposition from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and Concacaf, yet UEFA has continued pressing legal action and accused him of "criminal mismanagement," calling the $4.2 billion price "fraudulently off-market."
- FIFA's legal filing argued UEFA's true motivation is "to prevent smaller countries from having the financial strength to compete with the European elite," claiming that FFE's development funding would erode UEFA's "dominance over other regions of the world."
- UEFA separately called for an independent external review of FFE's origins and pledged to "join forces with its partner confederations" to offer a "credible alternative" if Infantino runs for reelection at next year's FIFA Congress.
Why it matters: With opposition deadlines of Sept. 28-30 in two U.S. federal courts and the prospect of criminal proceedings in Switzerland, the dispute over the scrapped $4.2 billion FFE deal has moved from internal FIFA politics into active cross-border litigation that could shape Infantino's reelection fight and the financial leverage of smaller member associations against UEFA's stronghold.
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