• UEFA seeks US court permission to access FIFA documents for a criminal complaint against Infantino.
• The planned case is related to FIFA's controversial World Cup commercial rights proposal.
• UEFA accuses Infantino of secretive handling of a proposal that prompted widespread resistance.
• The case could involve criminal mismanagement under Swiss law.
• FIFA's proposed setup may have undervalued its commercial rights significantly.

UEFA has formally requested a U.S. federal court for permission to obtain testimony and documents from FIFA entities based in Florida as part of a planned criminal complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino. This request is outlined in a court filing where UEFA signals its intent to explore potential criminal proceedings concerning a contentious proposal related to World Cup commercial rights, specifically aimed at the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

The U.S. court application indicates that UEFA is investigating allegations against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code. Allegations suggest that Infantino promoted the FFE without appropriate consultation within FIFA's governance structures. UEFA claims that the plan was devised covertly, bypassing necessary oversight from the FIFA Council and its member associations, reports Le Monde and Channel News Asia.

UEFA's filing outlines a formal request for the collection of evidence from FIFA (AMERICAS), Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc., two entities that may possess key documents regarding the FFE's conception and approval processes. Among the sought documents are communications from a significant meeting in New York attended by several FIFA executives, which is indicative of the internal pushback Infantino faced. A notable instance is the refusal of two senior directors to endorse the plan during this meeting, as indicated by claims from UEFA and substantiated by Reuters and Le Monde.

UEFA has expressed concern that the proposed deal would undervalue FIFA's commercial rights significantly, estimating the deal at $20 billion despite the investment group's proposed payment of $4.2 billion. UEFA maintains that this valuation was not subject to the necessary open bidding or independent validation, raising alarms over governance policies being disregarded, as reported by Al Jazeera and Channel News Asia.