New York Federal Court Judge Jeannette Vargas on Thursday rejected a bid by US subsidiaries of soccer's global governing body FIFA to block Europe's governing body UEFA from gathering evidence tied to FIFA President Gianni Infantino's attempts to sell shares of the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors.
UEFA filed for discovery in the case in August with the intent of removing Infantino from office and has said it will file a criminal complaint against the embattled soccer boss in Switzerland if it finds evidence of financial wrongdoing.
UEFA is seeking discovery of evidence from Infantino's partners in the so-called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, a plan that instantly sparked fierce backlash when it became public in July.
The court's ruling means UEFA can now request the right to obtain documents tied to the deal from the US bank JP Morgan and the investment firm Thrive Capital, which is owned by Joshua Kushner — brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and son of US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner, a convicted felon whom Trump pardoned before appointing him to that post.
Two FIFA subsidiaries had sought to block UEFA's efforts, but Vargas ruled they had no "direct, substantial and legally protectable interest" in the case, which is specifically aimed at Infantino and his dealings.
