UEFA threatens Gianni Infantino with legal action over collapsed $20bn World Cup sell-off plan

The fallout from Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to bring private investors into FIFA’s most lucrative competitions has escalated, with UEFA now considering possible legal action against the FIFA president and others linked to the controversial proposal.

Sources told ESPN that European football’s governing body has warned Infantino against destroying or deleting documents connected to the proposed deal, raising the possibility that the dispute could move beyond football politics and into the courts.

UEFA has also reportedly written to a number of individuals and organisations associated with the plan, including American businessman Joshua Kushner, Greg Maffei, financial giant JP Morgan and consultancy firm Open Economics.

The letters are understood to put the recipients on notice that UEFA is considering legal proceedings concerning their involvement in the now-shelved project.

UEFA moves to preserve evidence

ESPN has seen a document preservation letter sent to Infantino.

Such a letter is a formal warning that potentially relevant records must be retained because they could become evidence in future legal proceedings.

In practical terms, UEFA is telling Infantino that documents, communications and other material connected to the proposed transaction should not be destroyed.

The development marks a significant escalation in the dispute, particularly because Infantino abandoned the proposal only days after unveiling it.

FIFA has yet to publicly respond to the latest development.

The $20bn proposal that triggered a revolt

Infantino had proposed creating a new FIFA-controlled commercial company valued at about $20 billion, with private investors taking minority stakes.

The proposed entity would have overseen FIFA's major commercial properties, including the men's and women's World Cups and Club World Cups.

Among the investors identified in connection with the plan was a company founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

But what Infantino presented as a major commercial opportunity quickly became a political crisis.

UEFA and other regional football confederations objected strongly, while concerns mounted over the prospect of private capital gaining influence over competitions traditionally controlled by football's governing institutions.

Infantino forced into a U-turn

The pressure eventually became too great.

Infantino announced on Friday that the project would not proceed, saying he had listened to the various objections and concluded that the proposal had created divisions that were no longer compatible with its original objective.

The announcement followed an extraordinary intervention from UEFA's 55 member associations.

European football authorities had threatened to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, in opposition to the proposed commercial restructuring.

UEFA described the plan as an unacceptable attempt to put football's most important competitions on the market, arguing that “some things are simply too important to sell.”

The rebellion was not confined to national associations.

Two senior FIFA figures also criticised the proposal, with one resigning from his role as an adviser to Infantino and another accusing the FIFA leadership of failing to be sufficiently transparent with staff.

Infantino's 2027 election now under scrutiny

The collapse of the project could have consequences well beyond the immediate controversy.

Infantino had been widely expected to remain firmly positioned for another term as FIFA president in the 2027 election.

But the failed proposal has exposed a widening divide between the FIFA leadership and some of the world's most powerful football confederations.

UEFA's willingness to contemplate legal action adds another layer to the crisis.

What began as an ambitious attempt to restructure FIFA's commercial empire has therefore evolved into a confrontation over governance, transparency, private investment and control of football's biggest competitions.

And while the $20 billion project may be dead, the battle over how FIFA is run appears far from finished.