New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) UEFA has confirmed that it has sent a legal preservation notice to FIFA as the fallout from the governing body's abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal continues, with the European football body keeping open the possibility of legal proceedings over the controversial plan.
The move comes days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino withdrew the FFE proposal following widespread opposition from UEFA, several continental confederations and other stakeholders. The project had proposed creating a commercial entity to manage the rights of FIFA's flagship competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, while allowing private investors to acquire an equity stake.
Confirming the development to Al Jazeera, UEFA said it had issued a document preservation letter to FIFA but declined to comment further on the matter.
"We can confirm that a document preservation letter was sent," UEFA said in its response to the media outlet.
A preservation letter is a formal legal notice requiring the recipient to retain documents, electronic records and other potentially relevant material that could be used as evidence in future legal proceedings. Such notices are commonly issued when litigation or regulatory action is being considered.
According to reports, UEFA has been exploring legal options since Infantino first unveiled the FFE proposal. The notice is intended to ensure that records connected to the project are preserved while the European governing body assesses its next course of action.
The controversy stems from FIFA's proposal to establish the FIFA Forward Enterprise, a commercial subsidiary that would have overseen the commercial rights of major FIFA competitions. FIFA argued the initiative would significantly increase development funding for its 211 member associations.
However, the proposal faced immediate resistance from UEFA, Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and several national football associations, which questioned both the governance process and the lack of consultation surrounding the plan.
Infantino subsequently announced that FIFA would abandon the proposal, saying feedback from stakeholders had made it clear that the project had become divisive and no longer served its intended purpose of strengthening world football.
--IANS
