FIFA President Gianni Infantino has strongly denied allegations that UEFA paid a severance package to a female employee who was allegedly in a relationship with him while he was the organisation’s general-secretary.
UEFA said a departure payment was made to the woman, along with fees for an MBA course, and that the arrangements complied with its regulations. Infantino’s spokesman said the allegations were categorically untrue and defamatory.
At a glance:
- Infantino led UEFA as general-secretary from 2009 to 2016.
- UEFA confirmed a departure payment and MBA-course fees for the employee in question.
- UEFA says it no longer has confidence in Infantino, while football bodies remain divided over his leadership.
- The deadline for nominations for FIFA’s next presidential election is November 18, with the election scheduled for next March.
What Infantino and UEFA said
A spokesman for Infantino told the Daily Telegraph that no employee at UEFA or FIFA had ever filed a complaint about his behaviour because, the spokesman said, there had never been an incident involving him. The spokesman also said any suggestion of inappropriate conduct or a breach of statutes or regulations was defamatory.
Related coverage: FIFA’s proposal to sell minority stakes in World Cup faces UEFA backlash.
UEFA did not confirm the alleged relationship. It said only that a departure payment had been made to the individual and that fees for an MBA course had also been paid. The governing body said both were in line with its regulations.
The dispute over Infantino’s leadership
The allegations emerge as Infantino faces backlash over abandoned plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors. UEFA, which is now in open conflict with FIFA, repeated its position that it no longer has confidence in the FIFA president.
UEFA also repeated a threat to boycott the World Cups. Norway’s football federation said it would ask Infantino to resign immediately, while the football associations of Mexico and Argentina backed him. The Confederation of African Football has also unanimously supported his leadership, and South America’s CONMEBOL voiced concern about unilateral actions taken without dialogue.
More context: Uefa faces critical moment to challenge Fifa’s new World Cup funding scheme.
What happens next
Infantino is expected to continue his campaign for a fourth and final term as FIFA president. He is currently the only candidate, and nominations close on November 18.
The election is scheduled for next March in Rabat. Infantino has spent the past week in Morocco, which is co-hosting the 2030 World Cup.
Also read: India’s Struggle to Qualify for FIFA World Cup Highlights Systemic Football Issues.
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