Football governing body rejects allegations and defends Infantino’s leadership amid growing pressure from Europe
FIFA has strongly criticised what it describes as a coordinated campaign to undermine the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino.
The statement follows a report by the Daily Telegraph alleging that a woman described as Infantino’s former lover received a severance payment from UEFA after an alleged affair during his time as the organisation’s general secretary.
A FIFA spokesperson said Infantino strongly denied the allegations and described them as categorically untrue.
FIFA has now accused critics of making unsubstantiated claims and warned that speculation and insinuation should not be presented as facts.
Pressure over FFE proposal
Infantino has faced increasing pressure from UEFA and several European football associations following the collapse of his controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
The plan would have created a new company to manage FIFA’s commercial and ticketing rights, with a 21% stake potentially being sold to a private investment company.
The proposal generated opposition within European football, with UEFA saying it had lost confidence in Infantino.
Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness also called for the Swiss-Italian official to resign.
UEFA has maintained that its threat to boycott FIFA events remains possible and said it has not received sufficient assurances that the abandoned proposal cannot be revived.
FIFA defends Infantino’s mandate
In its statement, FIFA defended Infantino’s position, pointing out that he was democratically elected by the organisation’s member associations.
FIFA said there was an ongoing effort by some individuals to weaken the president and the organisation through allegations, insinuations and misinformation.
The governing body argued that those who lack sufficient support among FIFA’s 211 member associations should not attempt to achieve political change outside the organisation’s established democratic processes.
The opposition to Infantino has so far been strongest in Europe.
Support from Africa and beyond
Infantino continues to receive significant support from football bodies outside Europe.
The Confederation of African Football, representing 54 FIFA member associations, has unanimously backed the president.
The Mexican Football Federation has also expressed support for Infantino, despite taking a different position from its regional governing body, Concacaf.
South America’s governing body, CONMEBOL, has similarly said it would reject any attempt to remove Infantino without a vote involving all 211 FIFA member countries.
The support provides Infantino with an important voting bloc as he faces growing criticism from European football.
FIFA promises stronger response
Infantino recently called members of FIFA’s management board to a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, where the organisation discussed the growing controversy.
FIFA previously apologised for the FFE proposal but said it would no longer tolerate what it described as attacks on its integrity, good governance and democratic processes.
In its latest statement, FIFA said it welcomes legitimate scrutiny but warned that criticism should not be used to spread unsupported allegations or distort facts.
The organisation also said it would challenge reporting it considers inaccurate or misleading.
With opposition continuing to grow in parts of Europe while Infantino retains strong backing from Africa and other regions, the dispute is likely to remain a major issue within world football.
