Sources: UEFA threatens Gianni Infantino with legal action over World Cup sell-off plan

UEFA has raised the possibility of taking legal action against FIFA president Gianni Infantino over his plan to create a $20 billion private entity to run the World Cup, according to reporting by ESPN citing sources. As part of that escalation, UEFA sent Infantino a document preservation letter, a formal written demand to retain all documents relevant to the proposal and halt any destruction of evidence that could be needed for future litigation.

Infantino had proposed creating a company to operate the World Cup with private investment, including backing from the Kushner family, before announcing Friday that the proposal would not proceed. UEFA's 55 member nations voted Thursday to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions in protest, declaring that "some things are simply too important to sell."

UEFA has also written separately to Joshua Kushner, investment executive Greg Maffei, JP Morgan, and Open Economics, the firm that advised on the project, to inform them that the confederation is considering legal action related to their involvement. Two senior FIFA officials have criticized the plan publicly, with one resigning as a presidential adviser and another stating that staff members were deceived by the project, per ESPN's reporting.

The collapse of the privatization proposal has thrown Infantino's expected reelection as FIFA president in March 2027 into significant doubt, according to sources cited by ESPN. No statement from Infantino, FIFA, or the named private parties responding to the preservation letter or legal threat appears in available reporting.