FIFA has accused UEFA of conducting a coordinated "smear campaign" against its president Gianni Infantino amid a legal dispute over an abandoned plan to sell a stake in the world football body's commercial operations, The Athletic reported Thursday.
In applications filed in US courts, UEFA sought access to documents and testimony for possible use in a criminal complaint against Infantino and other FIFA officials in Switzerland.
In a US legal filing dated Aug. 28, UEFA alleged that Infantino had promoted a "fraudulently off-market price for his own benefit" while pursuing the proposed transaction.
FIFA responded by filing a motion in New York on Tuesday seeking to intervene in UEFA's application, according to the report.
It asked the court either to defer a decision on UEFA's request or reject it altogether.
"While these applications are styled as legal pleadings with captions and docket numbers, they are little more than press releases in further support of UEFA's smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership," FIFA said in the filing.
The dispute concerns FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed commercial entity through which FIFA considered selling private investors a 20% stake in its commercial and event operations for $4.2 billion.
The plan would have transferred commercial rights linked to the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup to FFE.
It was withdrawn following opposition from football confederations and national associations.
FIFA rejected UEFA's allegations and argued that the European governing body was seeking evidence from US courts for possible use in a Swiss criminal case that had not been opened.
FIFA argued that although UEFA could submit a criminal complaint, only Swiss prosecutors could decide whether to open proceedings.
FIFA also accused UEFA of alerting the media before filing its legal applications and relying heavily on press reports, including articles quoting UEFA.
The world governing body said UEFA's public opposition began what it described as a weeks-long campaign against FIFA and its leadership.
UEFA had accused FIFA of "governance by intimidation" and described the proposed FFE structure as an "act of coercion."
FIFA also alleged that UEFA opposed the proposal for economic reasons, claiming the European governing body wanted to prevent smaller football nations from gaining the financial strength to challenge Europe's dominance.
"If soccer is strengthened in the developing world, global competition increases, which ultimately reduces UEFA's market power and provides more competition for its flagship tournaments," FIFA said.
FIFA argued that money raised through FFE would have helped smaller member associations develop football and encouraged more players to represent their countries of origin and play in domestic leagues.
"All of this would erode UEFA's dominance over other regions of the world," the filing said.
