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FIFA has strongly defended its president Gianni Infantino, rejecting allegations linked to his time at UEFA and warning of a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership.
The statement, issued on Saturday, came a day after The Daily Telegraph reported questions over a departure payment made by UEFA to a female staff member who had worked with Infantino during his tenure as secretary general of European football’s governing body.
UEFA confirmed the payment, saying it was made in accordance with the regulations in place at the time. Infantino spent 16 years at UEFA before being elected FIFA president in 2016.
In its response, FIFA accused critics of attempting to weaken Infantino’s authority and remove him from office outside the organization’s democratic processes.
“It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president,” the governing body said, adding that allegations, insinuations, and misinformation should not replace established procedures.
FIFA also dismissed parts of the reporting as containing “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims,” stressing that disagreement with leadership changes does not justify efforts to erode the president’s mandate.
The controversy comes amid broader tensions over Infantino’s leadership, particularly his proposal to sell World Cup-related revenues to private equity investors. The plan has been rejected by UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation.
Despite criticism, Infantino received backing from FIFA’s management board during a meeting in Morocco last week, where he also apologized for how the proposal was handled. However, UEFA has maintained its threat of a potential boycott by its 55 member associations, saying recent developments “change nothing.”
On the payment issue, UEFA reiterated that the compensation complied with then-existing rules, noting that its policies have since been tightened to reflect modern governance standards.
