UEFA Confirms Payment to Former Employee Amid Denials of Inappropriate Conduct by FIFA President
UEFA has confirmed a departure payment to a former employee during Gianni Infantino’s time as general secretary. This confirmation comes amid denials from FIFA regarding allegations of inappropriate conduct. The British newspaper The Telegraph initially reported claims that the woman received a payment.
Infantino has strongly denied these allegations, with a FIFA spokesperson stating they are “categorically untrue.” The spokesperson added that any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory. UEFA, in its statement, noted that the payment was in line with existing regulations for departing staff at the time, though these regulations have since been tightened.
Allegations and Denials
The controversy began after The Telegraph published an article alleging that UEFA made a payment to an alleged mistress of Gianni Infantino while he served as general secretary. The report, citing anonymous sources, claimed that Infantino had a relationship with a junior employee during his tenure from 2009 to 2016. It was also reported that the employee was promoted to a more lucrative managerial role and received a payment upon leaving the organisation, with UEFA also covering her MBA course fees.
UEFA confirmed that a “departure payment was made to the individual in question, coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school.” The organisation further clarified that “the payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time.” They added that “such regulations have been tightened since 2016 and the current staff regulations – which apply to all UEFA employees at whatever level – reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organization.”
FIFA has issued a statement condemning what it describes as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine the organisation and its president. The statement highlighted that “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.”
Organisational Reactions and Support
The allegations surfaced two weeks after Infantino’s controversial plans to sell partial commercial and operational rights to the World Cup were leaked, which were subsequently scrapped. This led to significant pressure on FIFA, with UEFA threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, and publicly expressing a loss of confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
UEFA has maintained its threat to boycott future men’s and women’s World Cups, stating that it requires assurances that similar situations will not recur. If such a boycott were to occur, it could significantly devalue any World Cup, as several top-ranked teams in both men’s and women’s football would not participate.
FIFPRO, the players’ union, has also indicated that its confidence in FIFA’s leadership has been fundamentally broken. However, not all football confederations share this view. CONMEBOL, which governs South American football, has stated it will not support an extraordinary congress to vote on Infantino’s future and will adhere to the existing timeline for the presidential election, scheduled for early next year.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has also expressed its backing for Infantino. FIFA officials held a crisis meeting on Wednesday, after which senior members reiterated their support for the president. FIFA has stated that it welcomes legitimate scrutiny but views some reporting as an attempt to distort facts and amplify unsubstantiated allegations. The organisation has vowed to challenge any inaccurate or misleading reports directly and vigorously.
The Mexican Football Federation has also supported Infantino, aligning with CONMEBOL’s stance against attempts to remove him without a vote involving all 211 FIFA member countries. FIFA has apologised for the aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which would have involved selling off a percentage of commercial and ticketing rights to a private investment company, but has also stated it will not tolerate attacks on its integrity and governance.
Source: cnn.com
