The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has notified the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) that it is reviewing potential legal action over FIFA's plan to sell equity stakes in the World Cup tournament.

According to the British daily The Telegraph, UEFA recently sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino stating that it is actively considering lawsuits, arbitration, and regulatory complaints regarding the equity sale plan.

In particular, UEFA emphasized that all documents related to the equity sale plan must be preserved.

The organization warned that "deleting, modifying, or concealing related materials may be considered destruction of evidence."

In addition to President Infantino, UEFA also demanded that other high-ranking FIFA officials believed to be involved in the equity sale plan—including Secretary General Mattias Grafström, Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger, and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Kevin Lamour—not destroy any documents.

Previously, FIFA pursued a plan to sell a portion of its equity in the World Cup and major tournaments to private investors.

The plan involved establishing a new for-profit entity called "FIFA Forward Enterprise" (FFE) dedicated to tournament operations and raising up to 4.2 billion dollars (approx. 6 trillion won) this year through the equity sale.

The equity sale was set to be led by Thrive Eternal, a venture capital firm headed by Joshua Kushner—the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump—with JPMorgan acting as an adviser.

However, this plan sparked backlash from the global football community.

In particular, UEFA warned late last month that if FIFA pushes ahead with the plan, its 55 member associations could boycott the World Cup.

In addition, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued statements voicing strong opposition.

Consequently, President Infantino scrapped the equity sale plan, stating that "contrary to our initial vision, it has caused division within the football world."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)