By Ugo Kevwe | National News
FIFA has condemned what it described as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino, amid growing criticism from parts of European football.
The world football governing body, in a statement issued on Saturday, dismissed what it called “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” against Infantino, insisting that speculation should not be presented as fact.
The development followed reports alleging that a woman described as Infantino’s former lover received a severance payment from UEFA after an alleged affair dating back to his time as UEFA general secretary. Infantino has strongly denied the allegations, describing them as categorically untrue.
FIFA said Infantino was democratically elected by its member associations and continues to serve under the mandate given to him.
“The FIFA president was democratically elected by FIFA’s Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate,” the organisation said.
It added that those unable to secure the support of FIFA’s member associations should not attempt to achieve their objectives through allegations, insinuations or misinformation.
Infantino has faced mounting opposition from UEFA and several European football associations following the collapse of his controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
The proposal involved the creation of a new company to manage FIFA’s commercial and ticketing rights, with a 21 per cent stake reportedly earmarked for sale to a private investment company.
UEFA has said it has lost confidence in Infantino, while Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness has called for his resignation.
UEFA has also maintained that a boycott of FIFA events remains possible, saying it has yet to receive sufficient assurances that the abandoned FFE proposal cannot be revived.
However, opposition to Infantino appears to be concentrated largely in Europe.
Mexico’s football federation has backed the FIFA president despite concerns within its regional governing body, Concacaf. The South American football confederation, Conmebol, has also supported Infantino, saying any attempt to remove him should require a vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations.
Infantino also enjoys the unanimous backing of the 54 member associations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
FIFA: Scrutiny Cannot Justify False Claims
The latest FIFA statement came after Infantino convened members of the organisation’s management board for a meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
In an earlier statement, FIFA and its Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, apologised for the FFE proposal but warned that the organisation would no longer tolerate what it considered attacks on its integrity, governance and established procedures.
FIFA reiterated that position on Saturday, arguing that disagreement with its leadership or proposed reforms should not be used as a basis for undermining the organisation.
The governing body said it welcomed legitimate scrutiny but would challenge reporting it considers inaccurate or misleading.
The controversy comes as Infantino continues to face pressure over FIFA’s governance, commercial strategy and relationship with European football authorities.
Despite the opposition, his position remains supported by a broad coalition of FIFA member associations outside Europe, including the entire CAF membership.
