After FIFA boss Gianni Infantino's now-scrapped plans to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors, several have called for the Swiss official to resign.
Now, documents filed by UEFA's US legal department with a court in Manhattan, New York, reveal that legal proceedings may be initiated against Infantino in Switzerland, where FIFA is headquartered.
"Absurdly low" valuation
"UEFA and its legal representatives are considering Swiss criminal proceedings against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials," the documents, cited by The Times and the AP news agency, read.
When Infantino's plan became known this summer, the total value of the shares - around 20 percent of a new FIFA company - was stated to be $4.2 billion.
It is an "absurdly low" figure, UEFA's legal documents state, and it is also emphasised that the valuation "was neither the result of an open, competitive auction nor had it been tested by an independent valuer."
UEFA is also critical of the fact that FIFA's 211 member associations were offered financial incentives to support Infantino's plan and that the associations would only have 53 days to respond.
“Extraordinary”
Associations that had quickly said yes would have received around $40 million – around SEK 379 million – over a four-year period. Those that rejected the business plan would receive a significantly smaller sum.
"For many national football associations, a payment of this magnitude is extraordinary in relation to their normal operating budget," the court documents filed by UEFA state.
Several European football associations have withdrawn their support for Infantino for re-election at the congress in March. The continental confederations in Europe, Asia and North and Central America and the Caribbean also want to see new leadership.
There is still no opponent to Infantino, who has been FIFA president since 2016.
