Australia's richest man, Frank Lowy, is suing the Melbourne Age newspaper for defamation following claims about the 2022 football World Cup bid.
Football Federation Australia, of which Lowy is chairman, has commenced proceedings against the newspaper in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
The FFA says The Age has published a number of articles relating to its bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which contain serious defamatory allegations.
The FFA says those include claims about the federation's accounting practices, and its compliance with FIFA regulations and its Government Funding Agreement.
The FFA rejects the allegations and is seeking damages.
It says any misleading suggestions have the potential to cause significant damage to the bid, FFA and Australia.
