UEFA considers legal action after FIFA abandons World Cup sell-off proposal

• UEFA has warned FIFA president Gianni Infantino to preserve documents linked to the abandoned World Cup investment proposal.
• European football’s governing body is also considering legal action against several companies connected to the project.
• The collapse of the proposal has increased uncertainty surrounding Infantino’s bid for another term as FIFA president.

UEFA is considering legal action against FIFA president Gianni Infantino following the collapse of his proposal to sell stakes in future World Cups to private investors, sources have told ESPN.

European football’s governing body has also warned Infantino not to destroy any documents connected to the proposal and has informed several companies involved that they could also face legal action.

Sources told ESPN that UEFA has written to Joshua Kushner, Greg Maffei, J.P. Morgan and Open Economics to notify them that legal proceedings are under consideration because of their involvement in the project.

ESPN has also seen a formal document preservation letter sent to Infantino.

The notice requires relevant documents and records connected to the proposal to be retained for any potential legal proceedings and is designed to prevent evidence from being destroyed.

FIFA has been approached for comment.

Infantino withdrew the proposal on Friday following widespread opposition from across world football.

The FIFA president had unveiled plans earlier in the week to establish a commercial company valued at $20 billion that would oversee the governing body’s major competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, with backing from private investors.

The proposal immediately attracted criticism from football authorities and stakeholders around the world.

Infantino confirmed in a statement on Friday that the proposal would not move forward.

The decision followed UEFA’s unanimous agreement on Thursday to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, if the proposal remained active.

UEFA described the World Cup as an asset that should never be sold, stating that “some things are simply too important to sell.”

The project also faced opposition from within FIFA.

Two senior FIFA officials publicly criticised the proposal during the week. One resigned from his role as a presidential adviser, while another claimed FIFA staff had been misled about the nature of the project and argued it should never have progressed.

The abandonment of the proposal represents one of the most significant setbacks of Infantino’s presidency.

His plan would have created a commercial subsidiary responsible for FIFA’s flagship competitions, including the World Cup and Club World Cup, through outside investment.

Its collapse has also raised fresh uncertainty over Infantino’s expected bid for another term as FIFA president ahead of next year’s election.