UEFA has asked three federal courts in the United States to release documents it intends to use in a criminal complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
European football\u2019s governing body filed the applications on August 27 in the Southern District of New York, the Southern District of Florida and the District of Colorado.<\/p>\n
They target the New York investment fund Thrive Capital Management, founded by Joshua Kushner, and two FIFA companies registered in Coral Gables, near Miami.<\/p>\n
The Colorado filing covers BANN Ventures, the firm of former Liberty Media chief executive Greg Maffei, who acted as a commercial adviser on the transaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cUEFA and its counsel are contemplating a Swiss criminal proceeding against Infantino,\u201d its lawyers wrote in a 56-page document seen by the Associated Press.<\/p>\n
Any complaint would be brought under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code, which covers criminal mismanagement. FIFA is based in Zurich and Infantino is a Swiss citizen.<\/p>\n
Infantino announced on July 28 that FIFA would place the commercial rights to the men\u2019s and women\u2019s World Cups and the Club World Cup in a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise.<\/p>\n
Thrive was to lead a group of investors paying $4.2 billion (\u20ac3.6 billion) for a 20 per cent stake, implying a valuation of $20 billion (\u20ac17.2 billion).<\/p>\n
UEFA\u2019s lawyers told the courts that figure was neither the product of an open auction nor tested by an independent valuer, and asked for the underlying valuation work.<\/p>\n
The filings also allege that Infantino designated Thrive as lead investor without consulting the FIFA Council, the confederations or the 211 member associations.<\/p>\n