ZURICH: The dispute between world football governing body FIFA and European football’s governing body UEFA has intensified, with FIFA accusing UEFA of conducting a “smear campaign” against the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino.
According to international media reports, FIFA made the allegation in documents filed with a US court, as UEFA seeks access to documents and testimony from the United States in connection with potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland against Infantino and other FIFA officials.
At the centre of the dispute is a proposed commercial rights initiative known as FIFA Forward Enterprise. The plan envisaged creating an entity to manage commercial rights linked to the men’s and women’s World Cups.
However, the proposal faced opposition from UEFA and other regional football confederations and was withdrawn on July 31.
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FIFA maintains that UEFA sought to undermine the initiative from the outset. UEFA, meanwhile, has called for reforms within FIFA and for greater limits on the powers of its president.
The dispute comes as Infantino prepares to seek a fourth term as FIFA president in March 2027. His potential re-election campaign is reportedly facing pressure from three confederations.
The latest legal developments mark a further escalation in tensions between FIFA and UEFA, whose disagreements extend beyond commercial rights to questions surrounding governance and the concentration of presidential powers within world football’s governing body.
