UEFA Prepares Criminal Complaint Against FIFA President Infantino for Breach of Trust

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is preparing to file a criminal complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino with a Swiss court on charges of breach of trust over his attempt to sell commercial World Cup revenues to private investors.

Citing documents submitted to a U.S. court, the Associated Press reported on the 28th (KST) that UEFA has begun securing evidence related to Infantino's revenue sale plan and expressed its intent to take such legal action.

This is interpreted as a procedure to formally file a criminal complaint with Swiss prosecutors—the judicial authority with jurisdiction over FIFA headquarters—after securing preliminary evidence through a U.S. court.

The controversy stems from FIFA's plan to sell World Cup commercial rights, which came to light last July.

President Infantino attempted to establish a separate subsidiary dedicated to managing commercial rights, such as broadcasting rights and sponsorships for major tournaments including the World Cup, and sell a 20 percent stake to the U.S. private investment fund Thrive Capital for 4.2 billion dollars (approx. 5.8 trillion KRW).

Thrive Capital is a fund founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The football world immediately and fiercely protested.

As UEFA escalated pressure by even hinting at a boycott of FIFA-organized tournaments, President Infantino ultimately surrendered and abruptly scrapped the sale plan on the 1st.

However, the conflict has escalated into a legal battle.

After warning FIFA on the 3rd not to destroy or conceal related materials, UEFA recently petitioned a U.S. court to order Thrive Capital and FIFA's U.S. branch to disclose internal evidentiary documents.

In a 56-page document obtained by the AP, UEFA's legal team stated, "We are considering criminal proceedings against President Infantino and other FIFA officials under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code (breach of trust)."

The legal team pointed out regarding the 4.2 billion dollar sale price, "It is an absurdly low valuation that did not go through open competitive bidding or an independent appraisal," adding, "It may be an abnormal price pushed through fraudulently by President Infantino for his own benefit."

President Infantino, who has led FIFA for the past 10 years, is facing the biggest crisis of his tenure.

Initially, he was widely expected to secure a fourth consecutive term in the next presidential election in March 2027, but demands for his early resignation are pouring in, centered around Europe due to this scandal.

UEFA has declared that if President Infantino persists in running for re-election, it will join hands with confederations from other continents to put forward an alternative candidate equipped with integrity and transparency before the candidate registration deadline on November 18th.
 
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.