Fifa has alleged that Uefa’s economic motive is to stop smaller nations from gaining the financial muscle to challenge Europe’s elite. It argues that strengthening football in developing regions would boost global competition, reduce Uefa’s market power, and create more rivals for its flagship tournaments. Fifa says the proposed FFE would raise funds for its smaller member associations, encouraging more players from those countries to represent their homelands and stay in domestic leagues rather than move abroad.
Uefa declined to comment, though BBC Sport was told by insiders that if Fifa has nothing to hide, it should release the documents and accelerate the legal process. Uefa has led the pushback against the Fifa president, who faces calls to resign from three confederations.
Uefa has also asked a New York court to compel testimony and documents from venture capitalist Joshua Kushner—the brother of the US president’s son-in-law—and his firm Thrive Eternal. Thrive had discussed with Gianni Infantino a $4.2bn (£3.1bn) investment for a 20% stake in a new Fifa commercial subsidiary, a plan abandoned within days of its July disclosure after a major backlash. At the time, Fifa said FFE would have increased distributions to each national association for 2027–2030 from £5.9m to £14.7m.
On Sunday, Kushner expressed regret over FFE, saying they stood by its aims but underestimated the politics of global football and how far some would go; had they foreseen the fallout, they would not have taken part.
Uefa has also sought documents from American financier Greg Maffei, a key adviser on the deal. While Uefa says neither Kushner nor Maffei are expected to be defendants, it claims the pair first discussed FFE in July 2025 and that Infantino had been exploring the idea with Kushner for nearly a year before the term sheet was signed. Uefa’s lawyers further argue the World Cup was deliberately undervalued at about £15bn—a figure not set by an open, competitive auction nor tested by an independent valuer—and that Infantino failed to consult Fifa’s hierarchy.