UEFA Escalates Battle Against Infantino With Criminal Complaint
UEFA is preparing to file a complaint against Infantino for financial mismanagement due to his failed plan to sell a portion of World Cup profits to private investors, a plan that sparked considerable controversy.
On Thursday, UEFA stated that it had submitted documents to a Manhattan court, requesting an investigation into potential evidence held by New York-based Thrive Capital Management, the investment fund founded by Joshua Kushner.
Thrive and Kushner were scheduled to pay FIFA $4.2 billion in exchange for a 20 percent stake in the subsidiary company responsible for managing FIFA’s media rights, including those of the World Cup.
UEFA’s lawyers wrote in a 56-page document obtained by The Associated Press: “The European confederation and its advisors are considering the possibility of filing a criminal complaint against Infantino, and possibly other FIFA officials, for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code.”
The document noted that the $4.2 billion figure may have been a misleading price promoted by Infantino for his personal benefit.
Infantino had abandoned the sale plan on August 1, following angry reactions from football officials worldwide, including UEFA.
In a related development, UEFA temporarily suspended its threat to boycott competitions organized by FIFA after receiving written assurances that the global football governing body would not attempt to revive plans to sell stakes in the World Cup, according to a statement issued on Thursday.
The UEFA statement said: “FIFA has confirmed in writing to UEFA that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project has been withdrawn permanently and irrevocably,” and that it “will not reappear in any form, name, or guise.”
After receiving the two assurances it had requested from FIFA on July 30, and after consulting with its member national associations, “UEFA has therefore agreed to temporarily suspend the withdrawal of European national teams from FIFA competitions during the next season.”
