New claims against Infantino deepen a turbulent period for world football’s governing body

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has endured a week of scathing criticism revolving around the now-shelved private investment plan, has been accused by a British newspaper of paying off an alleged lover while at UEFA.

According to The Telegraph, the Italian-Swiss lawyer, who served as secretary general of European football’s governing body from 2009 to 2016, also previously used his influence to secure a promotion for the same UEFA employee with whom he was in an intimate relationship.

Infantino has categorically denied the allegations, according to the article, which was published on Saturday.

When contacted by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency on Saturday, a FIFA spokesperson had not responded.

According to The Telegraph, which did not cite its sources, this employee received a “six-figure sum” upon her departure — at an unspecified time — in addition to the payment of tuition fees for a business school amounting to around £45,000 (AU$86,000).

When contacted by AFP, UEFA acknowledged that “a departure payment was made to the individual in question” at that time, “coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school”.

However, it insisted “the payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time”, before adding that “such regulations have been tightened since 2016”.

Quoted by The Telegraph, a FIFA spokesperson stated that Infantino, who has been married since 2001, “strongly denies these allegations”, which were “categorically untrue”.

“Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory,” FIFA added.

“No employee at UEFA and FIFA has ever raised a complaint regarding Infantino’s behaviour because there never was an incident where he was involved.”

Infantino, who is standing for re-election next March, has been embroiled in a crisis since the announcement late last month of his controversial — and ultimately abandoned — plan to open up the World Cup to private investors.

He faces opposition in particular from UEFA, which on Thursday stood by its threat to boycott the World Cups, deeming the mere withdrawal of the controversial plan to be insufficient.

FIFA responds

FIFA on Sunday condemned “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine” the world game’s governing body and Infantino in a formal statement.

“Recent reporting has included unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims concerning FIFA and its President,” said the FIFA statement.

FIFA insisted it “welcomes legitimate scrutiny”.

“But scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress. Where reporting is inaccurate or misleading, FIFA will challenge it directly and vigorously,” it added.

FIFA said Saturday it “will not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the FIFA President that is inconsistent with FIFA’s Statutes, democratic procedures and established governance framework”.

The statement added: “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.”

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