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FIFA has issued a statement defending its president, Gianni Infantino, against what it calls a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of the organization.
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The statement was released Saturday, a day after a report by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph raising questions about an exit package paid by UEFA to a female staffer who worked with Infantino when he was general secretary of European soccer’s governing body.
The Daily Telegraph claims a woman received a six-figure sum as a payoff from UEFA after an alleged love affair with Gianni Infantino. During their alleged relationship, Infantino would have promoted the woman, reports say.
While confirming the exit payment “was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time,” UEFA said the rules had been tightened since 2016 and currently “reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organization.”
Senior figures of UEFA have been considering an investigation into Infantino’s time at UEFA to understand how the payments were made and whether the alleged relationship affected decision-making.
Infantino worked at UEFA for 16 years before being elected FIFA president.
‘Misinformation’ campaign
In a statement Saturday, FIFA accused Infantino’s critics of trying to weaken his authority and remove him from office without due process.
“It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president,” the FIFA statement said. “Those who do not have the support of FIFA’s member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA’s established democratic processes.”
It said some reporting has included “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims,” which shouldn’t be presented as fact.
“Change inevitably challenges established interests, but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of FIFA’s president or the institution he was elected to lead.”
Infantino’s plan backlash
Infantino faced intense backlash after details of his plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity were published. UEFA and two other continental confederations — North America’s CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation — rejected the plan.
He did receive backing from FIFA’s management board last Wednesday following a meeting in Morocco, and he apologized for the process. UEFA’s threat to have its 55 member countries boycott FIFA competitions until the plan was scrapped remained, with UEFA saying Thursday that the announcement “changes nothing.”
