Jamal Musiala returns to shine with Bayern Munich, and UEFA is pursuing evidence against Infantino

Jamal Musiala, the German Bayern Munich midfielder, celebrated his return to the team’s starting lineup, and scored a goal, after a difficult period he went through.

Musiala said after Bayern's great 5-0 victory over its guest, Bodo/Glimt, Norway, on Thursday, in the opening round of the league stage of the Champions League: “I have not felt such a feeling in a long time.” “I was very happy to score the goal.”

Musiala suffered a severe injury during last year's Club World Cup in the United States, and despite his return, he faced several setbacks and problems related to his physical fitness.

Before the start of the new season, Musiala also revealed that he was diagnosed with seizures, as this condition caused him to fall unconscious during two friendly matches.

Bayern later explained that he had made adjustments to the medications Musiala was taking, which made these seizures appear noticeably.

The club had been aware of the situation for some time, but Musiala did not announce the diagnosis publicly until after the incidents occurred during matches.

This season, Musiala missed the German Super Cup match (Franz Beckenbauer Championship), the opening match in the German Bundesliga against Stuttgart, and the first round match of the German Cup against Osnabrück.

The first match he participated in this season was during the goalless draw against Schalke last weekend in the Bundesliga, where he came on as a substitute from the bench.

Musiala said: “I am happy to regain the rhythm of play now.” I had great support from the club, coaches and teammates. "I want to enjoy tonight."

He added: “I just want to get back to my best level and feel good physically. This problem is not new for me, as I want to gradually regain that feeling of lightness and vitality on the field and reach my usual level.”

The German player stressed: “I know that I still have a long way to go, but the joy of being on the field with the team is the best feeling ever.”

For his part, Belgian Vincent Kompany, Bayern's coach, confirmed that the goal Musiala scored in the match was "very important" for the player, expressing his hope that the focus will now be entirely on his performance.

Kompany said: “I think I was as happy as the fans were here in the stadium, and perhaps many others in front of the television screens. We knew that this moment would come, but it cannot be explained in advance. It requires all factors to come together.”

The Bayern coach indicated that Bayern will support Musiala or any other player when things get difficult, as he stressed that he does not feel any long-term concern about the midfielder’s performance.

Musiala concluded his statements by saying: “The goal and the 60 minutes he played were important for him, as he is gradually regaining his rhythm, and this is an additional reason why it was a successful night for us.”

The European Football Association (UEFA) urged a US court on Thursday to reject an attempt by two companies affiliated with FIFA in the United States to interfere in its efforts to obtain evidence for a possible criminal case in Switzerland against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, against the backdrop of his canceled plan related to commercial rights for the World Cup.

UEFA said in a memorandum filed in federal court in Manhattan that FIFA Americas and the 2026 World Cup Corporation, a subsidiary of FIFA in the United States, were improperly attempting to act on behalf of FIFA and Infantino, neither of whom had requested to join the case.

UEFA explained that its request, submitted under the Evidence Disclosure Law in the United States, aims to obtain documents and certificates from Thrive Capital Management and its founder, Joshua Kushner, and says that Kushner may be in possession of important information about the “FIFA Forward Enterprise” project.

The plan, which Infantino withdrew on August 1 after angry reactions from continental football federations and other critics, included selling a permanent stake in the commercial and operating rights associated with the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors.

UEFA said it is considering filing a criminal complaint in Switzerland accusing Infantino, and perhaps other FIFA officials, of criminal mismanagement. No charges of wrongdoing have been brought against Infantino or FIFA so far.

Last week, FIFA accused the European Football Association of launching a “smear campaign,” and considered requests to disclose information a random attempt aimed at harming FIFA and its leadership.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Infantino denied any wrongdoing.

In its response submitted on Thursday, UEFA said that the two companies affiliated with FIFA have no direct legal interest in the ongoing judicial proceedings in New York, because they are not among the targeted parties in the potential case in Switzerland, nor are they among the parties that will receive the proposed subpoenas.

He stressed that the confidentiality concerns raised by the two American subsidiaries, if any, concern the International Federation of the Game. UEFA also argued that Thrive and Joshua Kushner already have lawyers who can challenge any subpoenas after they are handed over.

Thrive did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is noteworthy that the company's founder, Joshua Kushner, is the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

UEFA said that granting subsidiaries a role in the case before the court ruling would violate the usual procedure for requests submitted under Section 1782 of American law, which are usually initially accepted without opposition, and are later considered through requests for invalidation or cancellation.

UEFA argued that the intervention of the two subsidiaries would cause unnecessary delay by adding another round of legal proceedings on the merits of the lawsuit before UEFA could request the records.

The court has not yet issued its ruling on UEFA’s request to obtain evidence or the request for intervention.