UEFA Responds to Allegations Involving Gianni Infantino

UEFA has acknowledged it is aware of an allegation that European football’s governing body paid off an alleged mistress of Gianni Infantino during his time in Switzerland’s corridors of power.

The Telegraph reports that while Infantino was serving as general secretary at UEFA, a woman said to have been in a relationship with the man who is now FIFA president received a six-figure payment. The newspaper says UEFA covered the cost of her MBA – a Master of Business Administration degree – after she left the organisation.

The story drags Infantino back into the glare of scrutiny he has tried to keep at arm’s length since succeeding Sepp Blatter in 2016. It also throws fresh light on how UEFA handled senior staff departures in that era.

FIFA, though, has come out swinging.

In a statement to The Telegraph, a FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA president Gianni Infantino strongly denies these allegations, and they are categorically untrue. Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory.

“No employee at UEFA and FIFA has ever raised a complaint regarding Mr Infantino's behaviour because there never was an incident where he was involved. All company actions related to employees, including any departure and severance packages, have always been approved by the appropriate directors in accordance with all applicable regulations.”

UEFA, contacted separately by Sky Sports News, did not dispute that a payment was made. It confirmed that an individual received a departure package, which included fees for an MBA course at a local business school, and insisted the deal complied with the rules in force at the time.

In its statement to Sky Sports News, UEFA said: “We are aware of the allegations and can confirm a departure payment was made to the individual in question, coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school.

The payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time. Such regulations have been tightened since 2016 and the current staff regulations – which apply to all UEFA employees at whatever level – reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organisation.”

That reference to 2016 is no coincidence. Infantino left UEFA that year, ending a 16-year spell that began in 2000, to take up the presidency at FIFA in the wake of the organisation’s most turbulent corruption crisis.

Now, as UEFA stresses that its staff rules have been tightened since his departure and FIFA brands the latest claims as defamatory, the allegation hangs in the air – another test of football’s promise to clean up its own house.