FIFA loses bid to block UEFA evidence gathering against Infantino
A New York Federal Court judge has rejected FIFA's attempt to block UEFA from gathering evidence against President Gianni Infantino regarding his controversial World Cup shares proposal.
US subsidiaries of soccer's global governing body FIFA have failed in their attempt to block Europe's governing body UEFA from gathering evidence tied to FIFA President Gianni Infantino's controversial proposal to sell shares of the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors. The ruling by New York Federal Court Judge Jeannette Vargas on Thursday clears the way for UEFA to proceed with its legal efforts against the embattled soccer boss.
UEFA filed for discovery in August with the intent of removing Infantino from office and has stated it will file a criminal complaint against him in Switzerland if evidence of financial wrongdoing is found. The legal action stems from the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which sparked fierce backlash when it became public in July.
Court Ruling
The court's rejection means UEFA can now request documents related to the deal from US bank JP Morgan and investment firm Thrive Capital, owned by Joshua Kushner. Two FIFA subsidiaries had sought to block UEFA's efforts, but Judge Vargas ruled they had no "direct, substantial and legally protectable interest" in the case.
Nothing in this record indicates that the US FIFA parties, or even FIFA itself, will be parties in the contemplated criminal proceedings.
In her eight-page ruling from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Vargas wrote that the US FIFA parties had not alleged facts suggesting they would be defendants in such proceedings. FIFA lawyers countered that the court had not addressed the merits of UEFA's application and no documents are required to be produced.
Related
