UEFA Payment Controversy Linked to Gianni Infantino

UEFA has acknowledged it authorised a six-figure payment and funded an MBA for a former employee who has been alleged to be a past mistress of Gianni Infantino, but insists the deal complied with its rules at the time.

The Telegraph reported that while Infantino was general secretary at UEFA, a woman said to have been in a relationship with the current FIFA president received a substantial sum after leaving the organisation, along with the costs of a Master of Business Administration degree.

The story strikes at the heart of European football’s governing structures: who gets paid what, and why, behind closed doors.

FIFA moved quickly to reject any suggestion of misconduct.

In a statement to The Telegraph, a FIFA spokesperson said Infantino “strongly denies these allegations, and they are categorically untrue,” calling “any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations” defamatory.

The spokesperson added that “no employee at UEFA and FIFA has ever raised a complaint regarding Mr Infantino’s behaviour because there never was an incident where he was involved,” stressing that all actions relating to staff departures and severance packages “have always been approved by the appropriate directors in accordance with all applicable regulations.”

UEFA, contacted by Sky Sports News, did not dispute that a payment and education fees were made. Instead, it framed the arrangement as standard practice at the time.

“We are aware of the allegations and can confirm a departure payment was made to the individual in question, coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school,” UEFA said in a statement.

According to UEFA, the package “was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time.” Those rules, the organisation stressed, “have been tightened since 2016 and the current staff regulations – which apply to all UEFA employees at whatever level – reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organisation.”

That date is no coincidence.

Infantino left UEFA in 2016, after 16 years at the organisation, to become FIFA president in the wake of Sepp Blatter’s departure and the corruption crisis that engulfed world football’s governing body.

Now, as questions resurface about old arrangements from his UEFA days, FIFA has again been asked to defend the man at the top.

Sky Sports News has contacted FIFA for further comment, as scrutiny over governance, transparency and power in the game shows no sign of easing.