UEFA threatens Infantino, Joshua Kushner with legal action

The governing body of European football, UEFA, has threatened legal action against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, venture capitalist Joshua Kushner — brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — and other individuals involved in the controversial plan to privatize a share of the World Cup’s commercial operations. UEFA is “actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints” against Infantino, reads a letter sent to Infantino, seen by the Telegraph. The move follows Infantino’s proposal to transfer FIFA’s commercial rights and tournament operations to a private entity firm — in partnership with Thrive Capital, Kushner’s venture capital company — allowing private investors to acquire a 20 percent stake. UEFA opposed the plan and unanimously voted to boycott the World Cup if the project was adopted, arguing it had been developed without proper consultation with member associations and would effectively privatize part of the tournament’s commercial business. The proposal was ultimately shelved. The notice sent to Infantino, Kushner and others involved in the initiative warns against destroying any relevant materials due to potential legal action. “Given that proceedings are reasonably anticipated, you are obliged to preserve all relevant materials … with immediate effect,” it reads. Last week, EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef said the FIFA proposal raised “important competition law considerations” that the European Commission would investigate.