FIFA President Gianni Infantino Denies Allegations of Improper UEFA Payment to Former Employee

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has strongly denied allegations that UEFA made a six figure severance payment to a female employee with whom he was allegedly in a relationship. The claims, first reported by the Daily Telegraph, suggest that while Infantino was the general secretary of UEFA, he promoted the woman to a leadership position and increased her salary by 30 percent before she left the organization with a large compensation package. This payment reportedly covered her MBA course fees.

UEFA confirmed that a departure payment and MBA fees were paid to the individual in question. The organization stated that the payment was in line with the regulations that existed at the time, though it noted that such regulations have since been tightened. A spokesperson for Infantino described the allegations as categorically untrue and defamatory, stating that no employee at UEFA or FIFA has ever filed a complaint regarding his behavior.

The controversy emerges amid a broader conflict between FIFA and UEFA. Infantino recently faced backlash over a plan to sell stakes in a company managing FIFA competitions to private investors, a project that included a firm led by Joshua Kushner. While Infantino apologized for the process and abandoned the project following threats of a boycott from UEFA's 55 member countries, UEFA has stated it still lacks confidence in his leadership. The Norwegian Football Federation has called for his immediate resignation, while the football associations of Mexico and Argentina, along with the Confederation of African Football, have expressed support for him.