FIFA Defends President Infantino Amid UEFA Exit Payment Allegations

FIFA has strongly defended its president Gianni Infantino, condemning what it describes as a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine his leadership through misinformation.

The defense follows a report by The Daily Telegraph questioning an exit package paid by UEFA to a female staffer who worked closely with Infantino during his 16-year tenure as UEFA’s general secretary. UEFA confirmed the "departure payment," stating it strictly complied with regulations at the time though the European body noted its internal rules have been significantly tightened since 2016.

In a public statement FIFA accused critics of attempting to bypass democratic processes using "unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims."

"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" the governing body stated. FIFA added that resistance to institutional change does not justify attempts to unseat an elected leader.

This controversy surfaces amid broader tensions regarding Infantino’s leadership. He recently faced fierce international backlash for proposing to sell World Cup profits to private equity investors. The plan was swiftly rejected by UEFA North America's CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation.

While Infantino recently secured backing from FIFA’s management board in Morocco and apologized for his handling of the proposal UEFA remains resolute. The European body previously threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions over the plan and maintained that Infantino’s recent apology "changes nothing."