Gianni Infantino denies UEFA affair, favouritism claims

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has denied allegations reported by The Telegraph that he paid off an alleged lover and used his influence to help secure a promotion for the same UEFA employee while he worked at European football's governing body.

The British newspaper reported that Infantino, UEFA secretary general from 2009 to 2016, was in an intimate relationship with the employee. It said she received a six-figure sum when she left UEFA at an unspecified time, as well as about £45,000, or $60,700, for business school fees.

A FIFA spokesperson quoted by The Telegraph said Infantino, who has been married since 2001, “strongly denies these allegations” and said they were “categorically untrue”. FIFA also said any suggestion of inappropriate conduct or breaches of statutes or regulations was defamatory.

UEFA acknowledged that a departure payment was made to the individual and that MBA course fees at a local business school were also paid. It said the payment followed the rules for departing staff at the time, and that those rules had been tightened since 2016.

A FIFA spokesperson had not responded to AFP when contacted on Saturday.

The report comes as Infantino faces criticism over a now-abandoned plan to open the World Cup to private investors. He is standing for re-election next March. UEFA on Thursday maintained its threat to boycott the World Cups, saying withdrawal of the plan was not enough.