Uefa has escalated its dispute with Fifa president Gianni Infantino by seeking US court access to documents that could support potential legal action in Switzerland over Fifa’s abandoned private-investment plan. Its lawyers accuse Infantino of criminal mismanagement, secrecy and selling stakes in competitions at an unfairly low valuation, while Fifa and Infantino have not responded to the latest claims. The confrontation matters because it has deepened divisions within world football and could threaten Infantino’s authority despite his continued international backing.

The proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise plan was revealed and then withdrawn within days, after opponents argued it would hand investors undervalued stakes in major competitions, including the World Cup. Uefa is seeking evidence from Fifa, prospective lead investor Thrive Capital and its founder Josh Kushner, as well as former Formula 1 chief Greg Maffei, described as a key commercial adviser. Infantino has apologised for “errors” in the plan and retained support from Saudi Arabia, while Uefa dropped a threatened boycott after assurances that the scheme would not be repeated.