FIFA accuse UEFA of 'misinformation campaign'

FIFA has launched an extraordinary attack on UEFA, accusing it of running a "misinformation campaign" to scupper Gianni Infantino's World Cup private investor proposal. A legal filing on FIFA's behalf in the American courts said it would have been a "dereliction of duty" if Infantino had not explored the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which he ultimately was forced to abandon after the plan was rejected by UEFA, along with the two other continental confederations. The filing, seen by the Press Association, was made in the District Court of South Florida, where FIFA is opposing a motion by UEFA for the disclosure of documents related to FFE.

The claim rejects any suggestion that Infantino stood to gain personally from FFE, adding that the proposal would have needed ratification from FIFA's 211 member national associations as well as the FIFA Council. UEFA is accused of making the application "for the purposes of harassment, rather than out of any legitimate need for discovery. That alone is an independent basis for denial." Arguably the most damaging claim made by European football's governing body in its original application for discovery is that FFE was given a "fraudulently off-market" valuation of $20 billion.

FIFA has now countered by saying UEFA has conflated equity value with enterprise value. It said the enterprise value was "more than twice" that of the equity value. UEFA has stated it has lost confidence in Infantino despite the abandonment of FFE, and that it is seeking to put up a credible alternative candidate to stand against him in next year's presidential election.

FIFA's filing questions the timing of UEFA's legal application, noting that the deadline for candidates to be submitted is Nov. 18. "This court should reject any attempt to influence FIFA's presidential election based on these grounds," the filings state. UEFA has been approached for comment by PA.

FIFA对欧洲足联发起了 extraordinary 的攻击，指控其运行 "错误信息运动" 以阻挠吉安尼·因凡蒂诺的世界杯私募提案。针对该提案，FIFA在美国法院提交了法律文件，称如果因凡蒂诺没有探索FIFA前进企业(FFE)提案，将是 "失职"。该提案最终在欧洲足联以及另外两个大洲足联拒绝后，被迫放弃。据《新闻社》看到的文件，该申请在美国南佛罗里达地区法院提交，FIFA正在反对欧洲足联申请披露与FFE相关的文件。申诉驳斥了任何因因凡蒂诺从FFE中获个人利益的说法，补充说该提案将需要FIFA 211个成员国家协会以及FIFA理事会的批准。欧洲足联被指控是 "为了骚扰目的而提交申请，而非出于任何合法的取证需求"。这本身就是独立的