FIFA has released a statement in support of its president, Gianni Infantino, amid what it describes as a deliberate and continuous campaign to undermine his leadership within the organization. The statement was issued on Saturday, following a report by The Daily Telegraph questioning a severance package provided by UEFA to a female staff member who had worked with Infantino during his tenure as general secretary of the European soccer governing body.
In response, UEFA confirmed the payment made to the former employee, stating that it was compliant with regulations in effect at the time. Infantino’s tenure at UEFA spanned 16 years before his election as FIFA president.
The statement from FIFA on Saturday accused critics of Infantino of attempting to diminish his authority and unseat him without proper procedures. It emphasized that those lacking the support of FIFA’s member associations should not resort to unfounded allegations or misinformation to achieve their objectives.
FIFA highlighted that certain reports contained baseless claims and should not be presented as facts. The organization stressed the importance of respecting established democratic processes and not seeking to disrupt the mandate of the FIFA president or the institution he leads.
Infantino faced backlash following the revelation of his proposal to sell World Cup profits to private investors, a plan rejected by UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC. Despite receiving backing from FIFA’s management board, Infantino publicly apologized for the controversial proposal. UEFA maintained its stance on potentially boycotting FIFA competitions until the plan was abandoned.
While confirming the legitimacy of the exit payment made to the former staff member, UEFA noted that regulations had been updated since 2016 to align with modern organizational standards.