Gianni Infantino became FIFA President in 2016 following the corruption scandals surrounding the Sepp Blatter era.
Since taking charge, Infantino has overseen huge commercial expansion alongside significant changes to FIFA’s major competitions.
The FIFA World Cup expanded to 48 teams for the 2026 edition, while FIFA introduced a revamped 32-team Club World Cup.
Also, the FIFA Forward Programme has funnelled billions into grassroots development, particularly across Africa.
However, his presidency has also faced criticism over an increasingly crowded football calendar and several political controversies.
His close ties with Saudi Arabian Football Federation figures and FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize for Donald Trump also attracted criticism.
More recently, Infantino faced widespread opposition over plans involving FIFA’s commercial rights and private investors.
According to Euronews, UEFA are preparing a criminal complaint against Gianni Infantino in Swiss courts for possible financial mismanagement.
The potential case centres around Infantino’s failed plan to sell future World Cup profits to private investors.
Thrive Capital Management, founded by Joshua Kushner, planned to invest $4.2 billion for a 20% stake in a FIFA subsidiary.
That subsidiary would have controlled FIFA’s commercial events, including the World Cup, under the proposed arrangement.
However, Infantino abandoned the sell-off on 1 August after facing a furious backlash from global football leaders, including UEFA.
UEFA then threatened legal action on 3 August and warned FIFA against destroying or hiding relevant materials connected to the proposal.
Furthermore, UEFA’s filing suggested the $4.2 billion figure could have been an off-market price promoted for Infantino’s own benefit.
UEFA also filed documents in a Manhattan court seeking potential evidence from Thrive Capital Management regarding the proposed investment.
The $4.2 billion investment would have valued FIFA’s commercial subsidiary at approximately $20 billion.
However, UEFA argued that the valuation had not resulted from an open competitive auction or been tested by an independent valuer.
Want to get the latest transfer news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
