UEFA Considers Criminal Complaint Against Gianni Infantino, U.S. Court Documents Say

UEFA, the governing body for soccer in Europe, is considering criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino for criminal mismanagement in Switzerland, according to court documents filed in the U.S. and viewed by Forbes, accusing him of financially mismanaging the organization when he proposed an unsuccessful plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.

The European governing body for soccer is preparing to file a complaint against Infantino for "criminal mismanagement," according to court documents in the U.S.

## Key Facts

In a federal court filing in Florida on Thursday, UEFA said it was preparing a possible criminal complaint in Switzerland "against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials and advisors."

UEFA asked the court to consider serving subpoenas for discovery to FIFA Americas relating to the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise, including its communications with Thrive Capital, the investment fund founded by Josh Kushner, the leading investor, and BANN Ventures, founded by Greg Maffei, who was listed as an adviser for the deal.

UEFA requested documents and communications related to "structuring, financing, and negotiation" of the plan, as well as communications between Infantino and Kushner, Maffei and their advisers.

The subpoenas were handed to Thrive in New York and BANN in Colorado on Thursday, ESPN later reported.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

## What Is UEFA Looking For?

The court filing claims documents held by FIFA could provide answers as to whether the FIFA president's price for selling 20% of the World Cup--$4.2 billion--was accurate or "a fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit." It also claims Infantino "unilaterally designated" Thrive as the lead investor, and pushed the plan through internally after a "hastily convened meeting where a limited number of FIFA's management officials and employees--some of whom had never heard of the plan--were given mere hours to sign off on an unprecedented multi-billion dollar scheme." UEFA's filing also criticized the $20 billion valuation for the World Cup as "absurdly low," calling it a "figure that was neither the product of an open, competitive auction, nor tested by any independent valuer." Later in the filing, lawyers for UEFA specifically request the valuation work, diligence material from any advisers, documents related to the internal approval process and "agreements, term sheets, and transaction documents" related to the deal. Thrive declined to comment when reached by Forbes, and BANN did not immediately return a request for comment.

## Contra

In Thursday's filing, UEFA said Infantino's conduct rises to "the level of criminal mismanagement." However, it also notes Swiss law does not require UEFA to determine the likelihood of success its criminal case would have beforehand.

## Key Background

Infantino unveiled his plan to sell minority stakes in the World Cup in July, just weeks after FIFA finished the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Infantino's plan would have sold 20% of a new commercial enterprise that would control its "commercial and event operations" to a group of investors, with Thrive serving as the lead investor. However, the deal faced immediate backlash, with UEFA emerging as the strongest confederation criticizing the plan. UEFA and its 55 member nations in Europe threatened to boycott FIFA events moving forward, and Infantino quickly backed away from the proposal just days after the announcement. Infantino continues to face scrutiny and criticism since the deal blew up, with UEFA leadership still insisting the organization has "no confidence" in the FIFA president's leadership after the debacle.

## Forbes Valuation

We estimate Josh Kushner's net worth at $16.7 billion. Kushner is the son of New Jersey real estate developer and current U.S. ambassador to France Charles Kushner, as well as the brother of Jared Kushner, a fellow billionaire and the husband of Ivanka Trump. Thrive, Josh's investment fund, has recently moved to invest in other major sports franchises, first purchasing a minority stake in the San Francisco Giants in April. Kushner was also one of a group of investors that purchased an ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5 billion earlier this month.