FIFA Accuses UEFA of Smear Campaign in US Legal Dispute

FIFA has accused UEFA of conducting a "smear campaign" against its president, Gianni Infantino, in a legal document submitted to a United States federal court on Thursday. The motion was filed by FIFA's attorneys in response to a request for discovery lodged by European football's governing body.

The dispute between the two organisations traces back to Infantino's scrapped proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. According to reports from the BBC and ESPN, the governing bodies have been at odds since those plans were abandoned.

Federal filing and discovery request

In the recent court filing in the US, FIFA formally opposed UEFA's discovery application, labelling the legal maneuver part of a wider effort to undermine Infantino. The Guardian reported that UEFA has also been considering filing a criminal complaint against the FIFA president in connection with the matter.

Neither FIFA nor UEFA has issued a joint official statement outside the judicial proceedings, and full details regarding the discovery request remain unconfirmed. However, the exchange marks a significant escalation in the ongoing institutional friction between world football's authority and its European counterpart.