FIFA has hit out at what it called “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine” world football’s governing body and its president Gianni Infantino.
The statement comes after UEFA confirmed on Friday a “departure payment” was made to a female employee alleged to have been in a relationship with Infantino when he was the European governing body’s general secretary.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported the woman received a six-figure sum and UEFA confirmed a payment was made along with covering the fees for an MBA course, adding it was “in line” with regulations at the time.
A FIFA spokesman told the Telegraph that Infantino “strongly denies these allegations, and they are categorically untrue.”
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FIFA went further in a lengthy statement on Saturday, calling out “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” that it said were aimed at weakening Infantino’s authority in order to have him removed from his role without a due re-election process.
Infantino has been under pressure after three continents rejected his plan to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
UEFA, where Infantino worked for 16 years and was its general secretary between 2009 and 2016 before being elected FIFA president, has led the criticism of the FIFA president.
Earlier this week, UEFA said its 55 member nations could still boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, despite Infantino’s apology for his failed plan.
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“It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president,” FIFA said in its statement Saturday.
“Those who do not have the support of FIFA’s member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA’s established democratic processes.
“Recent reporting has included unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims concerning FIFA and its president. Speculation and insinuation should not be presented as fact, and repetition does not make an allegation true.”
Following a meeting of senior FIFA leadership in Morocco on Wednesday, FIFA acknowledged that “mistakes were made” over the proposal but “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino’s presidency.
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While UEFA has maintained its boycott threat, outside of Europe Infantino has received significant support.
South American governing body CONMEBOL, which is lobbying FIFA to expand the 2030 finals to 64 teams, said on Thursday that it would not support any move to oust Infantino on an accelerated timetable. The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) also expressed its “unanimous support” for Infantino.
Concacaf, the governing body of North and Central America and the Caribbean, issued a rebuke of Infantino last Saturday, accusing him of a “unilateral and egregious act of poor governance” in relation to the private investor plan, and calling for a full review of his leadership.
However, Concacaf member Mexico expressed its support for the FIFA chief and backed his call to “collectively continue developing football for the benefit of all 211 member associations.”
“Change inevitably challenges established interests, but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of FIFA’s president or the institution he was elected to lead,” FIFA added in its statement Saturday.
“FIFA welcomes legitimate scrutiny. But scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress. Where reporting is inaccurate or misleading, FIFA will challenge it directly and vigorously.”
PA and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
