Uefa targets Fifa’s Infantino with criminal complaint over failed World Cup investor plan
Uefa pursues legal action against the Fifa president in Switzerland for alleged financial misconduct in the collapsed investment scheme
Uefa is preparing a criminal complaint against Fifa president Gianni Infantino in Swiss courts for possible financial mismanagement over his failed plan to sell future World Cup profits to private investors.
Uefa said on Thursday it filed documents in a Manhattan court requesting discovery of potential evidence from the New York investment fund, Thrive Capital Management, founded by Joshua Kushner.
Uefa also filed a request in a southern Florida district for authorisation of discovery “in a foreign proceeding” against Fifa itself, which has offices in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables.
Thrive and Kushner were to be the anchor investors intending to pay Fifa US$4.2 billion for a 20 per cent stake in a subsidiary that would run the football body’s commercial events, including the World Cup.
“Uefa and its counsel are contemplating a Swiss criminal proceeding against Infantino and possibly other Fifa officials for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code,” Uefa’s lawyers said in a 56-page document seen by Associated Press.
The document suggests the US$4.2 billion figure could be a “fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit”.