FIFA has issued a statement defending its president,Gianni Infantino,against what it described as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of world football’s governing body.
The statement came amid an escalating dispute over Infantino’s leadership following the collapse of his proposal to raise about $4.2 billion by selling a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup and other tournaments.
It was released a day after British newspaper The Daily Telegraph raised questions about an exit package paid by UEFA to a female employee who worked with Infantino when he was general secretary of European football’s governing body.
Infantino categorically denied the allegations,according to the report.
UEFA confirmed that a “departure payment” had been made to the employee and said it was “in line” with regulations in place at the time.
Infantino worked at UEFA for 16 years before being elected FIFA president.
FIFA Rejects Attempts to Undermine Infantino
In its statement,FIFA accused Infantino’s critics of attempting to weaken his authority and remove him without following the organisation’s established procedures.
“It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president,” FIFA said.
“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.”
FIFA also said some reporting had included “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” that should not be presented as fact.
“Change inevitably challenges established interests,but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of FIFA’s president or the institution he was elected to lead,” the organisation said.
World Cup Commercial Rights Plan Draws Opposition
Infantino has faced backlash over his proposal to sell a stake in profits from the World Cup and other tournaments to private equity.
UEFA,the Confederation of North,Central America and Caribbean Association Football,and the Asian Football Confederation rejected the proposal.
Infantino received backing from FIFA’s management board following a meeting in Morocco last Wednesday and apologised over the process.
UEFA,however,had threatened to have its 55 member countries boycott FIFA competitions until the proposal was withdrawn. Following the announcement,UEFA said Thursday that it “changes nothing”.
Addressing the separate controversy involving the former employee,UEFA said the departure payment complied with the regulations in place at the time.
The organisation added that its rules had been tightened since 2016 and now “reflect those found in a modern,high-profile organization”.
