Uefa has dramatically escalated its attempts to oust Fifa President Gianni Infantino, taking the initial legal steps towards filing a criminal complaint against him. Lawyers for European football's governing body have lodged a request with a US court for documents and correspondence concerning the now-abandoned World Cup sell-off plan.
These documents could be used to bring proceedings in Switzerland, where both Fifa and Uefa are headquartered. Uefa aims to establish who at Fifa and externally knew about the plan, and if anyone stood to gain from it.
The filing, seen by City AM, states that Uefa is considering a Swiss criminal proceeding against Infantino and possibly other Fifa officials for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code. Swiss law indicates that such offences, if proven, could lead to a prison term of up to three years, or five years if the offender intended to secure an unlawful gain.
Uefa's discovery request was made in a Florida district court, where Fifa's main US offices are located. It includes communications between officials and Infantino, Joshua Kushner, and Greg Maffei, an advisor on the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) deal. Infantino has faced calls to resign since details emerged of his plan to create FFE, a company that would hold commercial rights to the World Cup and other tournaments, selling minority stakes worth over $4bn to investors, including Kushner's Thrive Eternal vehicle.