In a filing submitted Thursday to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, UEFA urged the judge to deny an attempt by FIFA’s U.S. entities—FIFA (Americas) Inc. and FWC2026 US Inc.—to intervene in a discovery request that could aid a prospective Swiss criminal investigation of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Why UEFA is opposing the subsidiaries
UEFA argues that the two subsidiaries lack a direct legal interest in the Manhattan proceeding. The court case concerns a request under Section 1782 of the U.S. discovery statute for documents and testimony from Thrive Capital Management and its founder Joshua Kushner, who may possess information about the proposed “FIFA Forward Enterprise” transaction.
The transaction, which Infantino abandoned on Aug. 1 after criticism from soccer bodies and other observers, would have sold a permanent stake in commercial and operational rights tied to the World Cup and other FIFA events to private investors.
Potential criminal complaint in Switzerland
UEFA has indicated it is weighing a criminal complaint in Switzerland that would allege mismanagement by Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials. Neither Infantino nor FIFA have been formally charged, and Infantino has denied any wrongdoing.
FIFA, for its part, accused UEFA last week of conducting a “smear campaign” and described the discovery applications as a fishing expedition intended to damage FIFA and its leadership.
Legal arguments presented by UEFA
UEFA’s motion stresses that the subsidiaries are not the intended targets of the contemplated Swiss case and have not been served with subpoenas. The organization also notes that any confidentiality concerns raised by the subsidiaries would, if anything, belong to their Swiss parent, FIFA.
Furthermore, UEFA points out that Thrive Capital already has legal counsel capable of challenging any subpoenas after service, reducing the need for the subsidiaries to intervene.
Connection to the Kushner family
Joshua Kushner, the founder of Thrive Capital, is the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to the daughter of President Donald Trump. While the Trump administration has not commented on the filing, the familial link underscores the high‑profile nature of the parties involved.
Potential impact of granting the motion
UEFA warns that allowing the subsidiaries to join the case would create unnecessary delay by adding another round of merits briefing before UEFA can obtain the requested records. The organization also notes that Section 1782 requests are typically granted initially without opposition and are later tested through motions to quash, a process UEFA seeks to preserve.
The court has not yet ruled on either UEFA’s discovery request or the subsidiaries’ motion to intervene.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
