FIFA has released a statement in support of its president, Gianni Infantino, denouncing what it describes as a coordinated effort to undermine his leadership. The statement was issued on Saturday in response to concerns raised by The Daily Telegraph regarding a severance package paid by UEFA to a female staff member who had worked with Infantino during his tenure as the general secretary of the European soccer governing body.
UEFA confirmed the payment to the employee as a “departure payment” and stated that it complied with the regulations in place at that time. Infantino had a long career at UEFA spanning 16 years before being elected as the president of FIFA.
FIFA, in its Saturday statement, accused those critical of Infantino of attempting to weaken his authority and remove him from office without following proper procedures. The organization emphasized the importance of respecting FIFA’s democratic processes and criticized the dissemination of unsubstantiated claims and false information as facts.
The controversy arose following the revelation of Infantino’s proposal to sell World Cup profits to private equity firms, a plan that faced opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC. Despite receiving support from FIFA’s management board and issuing an apology for the handling of the proposal, UEFA threatened to have its members boycott FIFA competitions until the plan was abandoned. UEFA clarified that the exit payment made to the staff member was in accordance with the regulations at the time but highlighted that the rules have since been updated to align with modern organizational standards.