If UEFA decides to take legal action against Gianni Infantino, FIFA will reportedly foot the bill, per The Athletic. That report comes days after UEFA filed a legal document that could lead to a lawsuit against Infantino down the road.
The entire situation stems from Infantino’s attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, including Josh Kushner. That proposal, which was ultimately scrapped, was known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
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In late August, UEFA filed a legal document seeking information about the FFE through the discovery process. Depending on what information UEFA receives, it could decide to bring criminal charges against Infantino and other FIFA members in Switzerland, where FIFA is headquartered.
In that document, UEFA accused Infantino of “fraudulently” offering a stake in the FFE without going through the proper FIFA channels. UEFA also accused Infantino of offering those stakes at an “absurdly low” value.
Notably, it’s Infantino — and not FIFA — that UEFA is targeting in the legal document. So, why would FIFA cover legal costs for Infantino even though the organization wouldn’t necessarily be the target of a future lawsuit?
As The Athletic explained, FIFA would cover those costs because Infantino — as its president — was acting on its behalf when trying to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Although UEFA is targeting Infantino as opposed to FIFA, world football’s governing body is due to cover the 56-year-old’s legal costs in relation to the case. The reason for this is because Infantino was acting on behalf of the organisation and in his role as president.
If Infantino, for example, had done something in a private capacity and not linked to his job, then FIFA would not need to pay for those costs. FIFA has been approached for comment.
The FFE proposal was received poorly the instant it leaked. Various member associations came out against it, leading to UEFA to threaten a boycott of all FIFA-run events. CONCACAF didn’t go that far, but did send a strongly worded letter expressing disappointment in the plan.
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All of that backlash eventually ended with FIFA scrapping the plan.
If Infantino thought that would quell the anger around the game, it was a miscalculation. Despite nixing the plan, Infantino started to receive calls for him to resign as FIFA president. Some football associations even went so far as to state they would not support Infantino’s reelection efforts in 2027. Infantino — who is up for reelection as FIFA president in March — is currently running unopposed.
Kushner — who has since purchased the Los Angeles Lakers — released a statement Monday, saying he would not have gotten involved in the FFE had he known how much member associations would hate it.
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Infantino has repeatedly fought back against all attempts to have him removed from his role. With FIFA reportedly set to cover legal costs should Infantino be sued, he’s unlikely to back down any time soon.
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