UEFA confirm legal letter served to FIFA after Infantino World Cup plan

European football's governing body UEFA has formally notified FIFA of a preservation letter, a legal document requiring the organization to retain all data, documents, and electronic communications as potential evidence. This action follows the withdrawal of FIFA President Gianni Infantino's controversial proposal to raise $4.2 billion from private investors, including Joshua Kushner's New York-based investment firm. The plan was abandoned early Saturday after generating significant international backlash.

UEFA led the opposition to the proposal, with its 55 member federations agreeing on Thursday to boycott all FIFA events and competitions while the plan remained active. The preservation letter, dated Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press, was issued by the legal firm Dechert in New York. According to the letter, UEFA is "actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints" related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan and associated matters. The document warns that any destruction, deletion, alteration, or concealment of relevant materials following receipt of the notice may constitute spoliation of evidence.

The preservation letter identified 18 FIFA executives subject to the notice, including Infantino, Chief Financial Officer Thomas Peyer, and Arsene Wenger, FIFA's head of global football development. The failed proposal would have granted FIFA's 211 member federations one-time payments of $20 million each, with a mid-September acceptance deadline. The FFE spin-off, valued by FIFA at $20 billion, would have transferred control of the organization's commercial and tournament operations through at least 2038.

UEFA has signaled its intention to remove Infantino from his decade-long presidency, stating he has lost the confidence of world football. Sweden's football federation confirmed Monday that UEFA is actively seeking an alternative candidate for the FIFA presidency, with the next election scheduled for March. UEFA previously stated that "no option should be off the table" regarding Infantino's future.