European football governing body, UEFA has urged a US court to block two FIFA subsidiaries from intervening in its bid to obtain evidence for a potential criminal case against President Gianni Infantino over his abandoned commercial-rights plan.
UEFA made the request in a filing to Manhattan federal court last week, arguing that FIFA (Americas) Inc and FWC2026 US Inc have no direct legal interest in the proceedings.
UEFA is seeking documents and testimony from Thrive Capital Management and its founder, Joshua Kushner, under a US discovery law, believing they may hold information relating to the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise transaction.
The proposal would have involved raising up to $4.2 billion (€3.62bn) from private investors for a 20 percent stake in a new FIFA commercial entity, based on an initial equity valuation of $20bn (€17.2bn).
FIFA said the proposed entity would have brought together commercial rights, including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing, alongside the operational delivery of FIFA tournaments.
UEFA has said it was considering a criminal complaint in Switzerland alleging criminal mismanagement by Infantino and potentially other FIFA officials. No charges have been brought against Infantino or FIFA, and Infantino has denied wrongdoing.
FIFA has accused UEFA of running a ‘smear campaign’ and described its US discovery applications as a fishing expedition intended to damage FIFA and its leadership. The latest court filing is part of a wider UEFA effort to gather evidence in the United States for the potential Swiss case.
UEFA said the two FIFA subsidiaries were not targets of the contemplated Swiss proceedings and would not be recipients of the proposed subpoenas. It also argued that any confidentiality concerns raised by the subsidiaries should, if applicable, be addressed by FIFA, their Swiss parent.
UEFA added that Thrive and Kushner already have lawyers who can challenge any subpoenas once they are served. Thrive did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kushner, the founder of Thrive Capital and brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has defended the motivation behind the proposal while acknowledging that his firm underestimated the political complexities surrounding it. Kushner said the proposal was intended to direct more investment towards FIFA’s 211 member associations and underdeveloped football nations. –Insidethegames
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