UEFA files US court request for document disclosure, seeks criminal proceedings against FIFA President Infantino

UEFA has formally requested the disclosure of documents as a precursor to potentially launching criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Switzerland, following his abandoned plan to sell a stake in FIFA's commercial operations.

In a legal filing submitted to the United States District Court and reviewed by The Athletic, European football's governing body accused Infantino of "promoting" a "fraudulently off-market price for his own benefit" in connection with the proposed sale to Thrive Eternal, a U.S. investment fund led by Joshua Kushner.

Key Allegations

• FIFA sought to sell a 20% stake in a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) to Thrive Eternal for $4.2 billion (£3.1 billion).
• The plan was scrapped following widespread backlash that continues to threaten Infantino's position.
• UEFA's lawyers described the valuation as "absurdly low" and stated it was not the product of an open, competitive auction nor tested by any independent valuer.

"The valuation work exchanged with Thrive, and any internal Thrive analyses of FIFA's enterprise value, are directly probative of whether the $4.2 billion price reflected an arm's-length valuation of FIFA's commercial rights or, as the public record indicates, a fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit."

— UEFA legal filing

Legal Targets

Identical legal filings have been lodged against:

• Thrive Eternal and Joshua Kushner (brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law) — in New York City
• JPMorgan — in New York City
• Bann Ventures and its CEO Greg Maffei — in Colorado

JPMorgan and Bann Ventures were named by FIFA in its July 28 announcement as partners on the FFE project.

Criminal Charges Under Swiss Law

UEFA's threat of legal action extends beyond Infantino to "other FIFA officials for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code", along with further charges as the factual record may support.

The filing warns that if Infantino is found guilty of a criminal offense in Switzerland with the intent of securing unlawful gain, he could face:

• A custodial sentence of up to five years
• Or a monetary penalty

"There is jurisdiction to prosecute such criminal mismanagement in Switzerland where, as here, the conduct occurred, was omitted, or took effect. FIFA is a Swiss association headquartered in Zurich; the FFE proposal was developed and directed by Infantino from FIFA's Zurich headquarters; and the financial loss arising from the FFE proposal is a loss to a Swiss association measured on FIFA's Swiss-audited accounts."

— UEFA legal filing

Context

Infantino's FFE proposal was announced in late July 2026 and met with immediate and intense opposition. The plan to sell a stake in FIFA's commercial and event operations to a private investment fund was widely criticized by football stakeholders, including UEFA, which has since called for Infantino to step down.

FIFA and Thrive Eternal have been approached for comment.

This article was written by Dan Sheldon and originally published on Aug. 27, 2026. Updated Aug. 28, 2026.