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FIFA president Gianni Infantino has strongly denied allegations that UEFA paid a six-figure severance package to a woman who allegedly had a relationship with him while he was secretary general of European football’s governing body.
The allegations were reported by The Daily Telegraph, which said UEFA made a substantial departure payment to the woman during Infantino’s tenure at the organisation. Infantino, who is married, has rejected the claims as “categorically untrue”.
A spokesperson for Infantino told the newspaper that the FIFA president “strongly denies these allegations” and said any suggestion of inappropriate conduct or breaches of rules or statutes was defamatory.
“No employee at UEFA and FIFA has ever raised a complaint regarding Mr Infantino’s behaviour because there never was an incident where he was involved,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
UEFA has confirmed that a departure payment was made to the individual mentioned in the report, but disputed any suggestion that the payment was improper.
The organisation said the payment included financial support covering the woman’s fees for completing an MBA course at a local business school. UEFA maintained that the payments complied with the regulations in force at the time.
It added, however, that its rules governing such payments have since been tightened and now reflect standards expected of a modern, high-profile organisation.
Infantino served as UEFA’s secretary general from 2009 to 2016, having joined the organisation in 2000. He became FIFA president in 2016 and was subsequently re-elected.
The allegations come at a difficult time for Infantino, who is already facing pressure over his leadership of world football’s governing body following his controversial proposal to sell stakes in World Cup-related assets to private investors.
The plans were eventually abandoned after attracting opposition from several European football associations. Infantino has apologised for what he described as “errors” in the proposals but has resisted calls to resign.
He received backing from senior FIFA executives at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday, allowing him to remain in office despite the controversy.
The dispute over the proposed World Cup investment plan has also created tensions among football’s regional governing bodies. Several European teams have threatened to boycott FIFA events, arguing that certain conditions surrounding the issue have not been met.
Infantino, however, continues to enjoy support from other parts of the football world. South America’s CONMEBOL and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have backed him, as have the football associations of World Cup co-hosts Mexico and Argentina, the runners-up at the previous tournament.
The latest allegations are likely to intensify scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership and raise further questions about governance and transparency at the highest levels of international football.
Neither FIFA nor Infantino had provided an independent public response to the allegations beyond the comments reported by The Daily Telegraph at the time of publication.