European football’s governing body has formally warned FIFA that it will pursue legal action unless the organization preserves evidence related to a controversial proposal to monetize future World Cup revenues. The warning comes as FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to private investors was withdrawn following a wave of global criticism.
The proposal, which envisioned a $20 billion spin‑off that would hand control of commercial and tournament operations to a private consortium, included investors such as Joshua Kushner’s firm and promised one‑off payments of $20 million to each of FIFA’s 211 member federations. After media reports sparked outrage, the plan was dropped and the proposal was formally withdrawn.
Legal and Governance Fallout
In a letter from Dechert LLP, UEFA identified 18 FIFA executives who are required to retain data, documents and electronic messages as potential evidence, warning that any destruction or alteration could constitute spoliation of evidence. UEFA’s legal counsel, Andrew J. Levander, indicated that legal proceedings are reasonably anticipated, citing long‑standing governance concerns within world football.
The European body also secured the agreement of its 55 member federations to boycott all FIFA events and competitions while the proposal remained active, and it has publicly called for the removal of Gianni Infantino from office. At the same time, FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour disclosed that staff felt deceived by the secretive nature of the plan.
Political dynamics within world football remain split. While African federations have largely backed Infantino, South American bodies such as CONMEBOL, led by Alejandro Dominguez, have expressed support for expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, a change that would benefit Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, the home nations of Dominguez’s confederation.
The next major milestone is the March 2026 election, for which the candidate filing deadline is November 18, with the vote scheduled to take place in Morocco. Morocco, a co‑host of the 2030 tournament alongside Spain and Portugal, has emerged as one of Infantino’s strongest allies.