Fifa criticises 'concerted and ongoing effort' to oust Gianni Infantino

The world football governing body, Fifa, has issued a warning against an alleged concerted and ongoing campaign to undermine its president, Gianni Infantino. This warning was issued following allegations in the British media about private matters related to Infantino's life. The Daily Telegraph reported that payments were made by Uefa to a former employee due to a romantic relationship Infantino had while serving as Uefa's general secretary.

These claims, which Infantino has denied, have been rejected by Fifa as unfounded. The situation has escalated following the collapse of Infantino's attempts to sell off stakes in World Cup and other tournament commercial rights, leading Uefa and others to call for his resignation. This has prompted a crisis meeting in Morocco, where Fifa's leadership reaffirmed their support for Infantino.

Fifa did not specify who they believed was attempting to undermine Infantino or which reports they were referring to. Fifa emphasized that those without the support of Fifa's Member Associations should not attempt to undermine his leadership through allegations, insinuations, or misinformation. They stated that they would challenge any inaccurate or misleading reports directly and vigorously.

Fifa stated that they would not support, facilitate, or tolerate any election process for the president of Fifa that was inconsistent with their statutes, democratic procedures, and governance framework. The current president was democratically elected by Fifa's member associations and continues to serve under their mandate. Despite calls for his resignation, Infantino remains popular among the 211 member associations of Fifa.

No clear challenger has emerged to contest his bid for another term at the upcoming Fifa Congress in March.