The battle between FIFA and UEFA escalates: Will a new lawsuit be filed?

FIFA accused the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) today (Thursday) of conducting a planned "smear campaign" against the organization's president, Gianni Infantino. The accusations come as part of an intense legal battle surrounding the abandoned attempt to sell part of the World Cup rights to private investors, a move that caused a major upheaval in the upper echelons of world football.

The conflict intensified after UEFA approached courts in the United States demanding evidence related to the controversial project. In addition, UEFA warned that they are considering initiating criminal proceedings against Infantino in Switzerland, where FIFA's headquarters are located.

In documents filed by FIFA with the New York court, it rejected the claims outright and argued that UEFA's legal requests are nothing more than "press releases in the guise of pleadings," intended to escalate the public attack against Infantino and bring about his removal, whether through resignation or in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections in March.

FIFA claims that narrow economic and political motives lie behind UEFA's legal moves. According to the organization's lawyers, UEFA is acting out of a desire to protect its prestigious tournaments and prevent small and developing countries from strengthening their financial resilience. FIFA explained that the plan, intended to raise funds for small associations, could have increased the level of global competitiveness and caused more players to remain in their local leagues instead of moving to elite clubs in Europe — a move that would have harmed UEFA's market power.

On the other hand, the plan to establish a World Cup subsidiary worth $20 billion had already faced sharp criticism earlier. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior advisor, even resigned from his position, calling the move a "bad deal for football."

"A bad deal for football," is how Carlos Cordeiro described the initiative.

Despite revelations that plans to receive billions of dollars from private investors were already being hatched in June, FIFA insists in its legal documents that it was only a "proposal" that required approval from the FIFA Council and member associations. The document filed by FIFA avoids directly addressing UEFA's sharp criticism of Infantino and even ignored the position of the Asian and North American football confederations, which themselves attacked the initiative and called it a "fundamental breach of trust." Meanwhile, the legal and political struggle between the organizations continues to deepen the rift in the management of world football.