FIFA has accused UEFA of running a "smear campaign" against its president, Gianni Infantino, in new court filings. The accusation comes in response to UEFA's attempt to launch legal action over the abandoned plan to sell shares in future World Cup tournaments.
Infantino faced heavy criticism after unveiling a scheme to sell off shares in future FIFA tournaments to private investors. UEFA's member nations even threatened to boycott World Cups if the proposals were implemented. The 56-year-old eventually withdrew the proposals but has since faced calls for his resignation.
Legal Battle Intensifies
Last week, it emerged that UEFA was preparing a criminal file against Infantino. UEFA filed legal papers in the United States requesting the release of evidence and documents from FIFA. However, FIFA has responded with its own court filings, accusing UEFA of "a smear campaign against it and its leadership".
FIFA also claims that UEFA's argument suffers from "legal deficiencies". According to BBC Sport, the filings state: "UEFA seeks discovery in aid of a foreign criminal proceeding that does not exist and that UEFA admittedly lacks the authority to initiate. Despite that threshold problem, UEFA asks this court to authorise sweeping discovery about the FFE."
FFE Scheme Under Fire
FIFA stressed that it had "made clear" the creation of the FFE (FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme) was "only a proposal" and would not have proceeded without overwhelming support. "Rather than participate in that democratic process, Uefa issued a press release - the beginning of a weeks-long smear campaign against Fifa and its leadership," FIFA wrote.
In their court filing, UEFA described the creation of FFE as "a vehicle for Infantino and a small circle to acquire a permanent stake and otherwise profit from Fifa's most valuable assets."
Kushner Apologises
The fallout has left the two governing bodies at odds, although UEFA has now dropped the threat of its nations boycotting future World Cup tournaments. UEFA is also pushing for a testimony from Joshua Kushner, a venture capitalist and son-in-law of Donald Trump, who was set to be the lead investor in FFE.
Kushner apologised for the abandoned venture on Sunday, saying: "While we stand behind the motivations of FFE, we failed to appreciate the political dynamics of global football, and the lengths some would go to… had we known what this would devolve into, we would not have gotten involved."
