{
  "id": 332016,
  "title": "FIFA defends Infantino against allegations tied to his time at UEFA",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/fifa-defends-infantino-against-allegations-tied-to-his-time-at-uefa",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-09T01:23:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/infantino-fifa-uefa-world-cup-202776a989ce15e22baade6ab38d3a8f"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "FIFA has released a statement defending its president, Gianni Infantino, against allegations of an attempt to undermine his leadership. The statement was issued on Saturday, following a report by The Daily Telegraph which questioned a departure payment made by UEFA to a female employee who worked alongside Infantino during his tenure as UEFA's general secretary.\n\nInfantino spent 16 years at UEFA before being elected FIFA president. In the FIFA statement, the organization accused its critics of attempting to weaken his authority and remove him from office without proper procedures. FIFA emphasized that any efforts to discredit the president or the organization through allegations, insinuations, or misinformation should not be accepted as factual.\n\nThe statement noted that some reporting contained \"unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims,\" which should not be presented as facts. Infantino faced criticism after the publication of his plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity, which was rejected by UEFA and two other continental confederations - CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.",
  "summary": "LONDON (AP) — FIFA has issued a statement defending its president, Gianni Infantino, against what it calls a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of the organization. The statement was…",
  "key_points": [
    "FIFA defends Gianni Infantino against allegations",
    "Report questions UEFA departure payment to employee",
    "Criticism over Infantino's World Cup profit plan"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/332016.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Egypt Independent",
        "title": "UEFA confirms payout to ex-employee under Infantino, amid denials of an affair",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/uefa-confirms-payout-to-ex-employee-under-infantino-amid-denials-of",
        "published": "2026-08-09T11:55:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ajel English",
        "title": "UEFA considers probe into Infantino's tenure as secretary general",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/uefa-considers-probe-into-infantinos-tenure-as-secretary-general",
        "published": "2026-08-09T15:28:11.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "‘Football belongs to no individual’: Infantino hit by extraordinary joint rebuke from Uefa, Concacaf and AFC",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/football-belongs-to-no-individual-infantino-hit-by-extraordinary",
        "published": "2026-08-10T08:43:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF unite to hit out at Infantino",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/uefa-afc-and-concacaf-unite-to-hit-out-at-infantino",
        "published": "2026-08-10T09:05:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF hit out at Infantino over World Cup privatisation plan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/uefa-afc-concacaf-hit-out-at-infantino-over-world-cup-privatisation",
        "published": "2026-08-10T10:15:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}