European football's governing body has applied to a United States federal court for an order allowing discovery from Florida-based FIFA entities, with the stated aim of securing material for use in a contemplated criminal complaint in Switzerland. The request, submitted as an ex parte application under U.S. law, targets testimony and documents that UEFA believes are relevant to how a now-discontinued commercial transaction was conceived, structured, valued and approved.
Scope of the request
The filing seeks judicial authorisation to obtain evidence from FIFA (AMERICAS), Inc. and FWC2026 US, Inc., two entities incorporated in Florida. UEFA said those organisations may hold documents and witnesses that shed light on the proposal to transfer commercial rights tied to the men’s and women’s World Cups and the Club World Cup into a newly proposed subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise - abbreviated FFE.
Allegations cited by UEFA
In its application, UEFA states it is contemplating criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials and advisers in connection with the FFE proposal. UEFA alleges the plan was developed in secret by Infantino together with a small group of advisers and investors, and that the process bypassed established FIFA governance mechanisms. Specifically, UEFA says the proposal was not put to FIFA’s Council and that regional confederations and member associations were not consulted.
Legal posture and next steps
The ex parte nature of the application indicates UEFA pursued discovery without prior notice to the parties from whom it seeks material. The filing places responsibility on the U.S. court to decide whether the targeted FIFA entities must produce the requested testimony and documentation for potential use in Swiss criminal proceedings. UEFA has framed its request around evidentiary needs relating to how the FFE transaction was ideated and whether appropriate approvals were obtained.
Context limitations
The application describes allegations and the legal route UEFA is pursuing but does not itself determine culpability. It identifies specific entities and a described transaction as the focus of the inquiry and asks a U.S. court to allow discovery that UEFA believes may be relevant to a planned Swiss complaint.