Fifa accuses Uefa of 'smear campaign' against Infantino

Fifa has accused Uefa of conducting a "smear run against it and its leadership" in connection with Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to monetise World Cup stakes for private investors. Last week UEFA submitted legal papers in the United States seeking disclosure of Fifa documents as part of possible misconduct allegations in Switzerland. In a sharp escalation, UEFA labelled Infantino guilty of "criminal mismanagement" and described the arrangement as "a fraudulently off-market terms promoted by [him] for his own benefit" concerning the now‑canceled Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative. Fifa responded with a filing in a US tribunal—seen by the BBC—asking the court to "oppose" the move by the end of the month. The world football body stated it had "made clear" that the creation of FFE was merely "only a proposal" and could have proceeded only if a majority of member associations backed it and the required Fifa Council approvals were secured. "Rather than enactment successful that antiauthoritarian process, Uefa issued a property merchandise - the opening of a weeks-long smear run against Fifa and its leadership," it wrote successful the tribunal filing. More to follow.