Fifa has condemned what it describes as a coordinated, ongoing campaign to weaken the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino.
The statement came after a Daily Telegraph story alleging that a woman reported to be Infantino’s partner received a severance payment from Uefa following an affair during his time as its general secretary. A Fifa spokesperson told the newspaper that Infantino “strongly denies” the claims and says they are completely false.
In its own response, Fifa attacked what it called baseless assertions and clearly inaccurate statements, warning that rumor and insinuation should not be treated as fact.
Infantino has faced mounting pressure from Uefa and several European federations over the abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which would have created a new company to handle commercial and ticketing rights, with 21% sold to a private investor.
Uefa has said it no longer has confidence in Infantino, and on Friday Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness urged him to step down. The European body also says a potential boycott of Fifa events is still being considered, adding it has not received firm guarantees that FFE will not be revived.
Fifa’s statement emphasized that Infantino was elected by the member associations and continues to serve with their mandate. It added that those lacking support among the membership should not try to achieve through allegations or misinformation what they cannot secure through Fifa’s democratic processes.
Most opposition to Infantino is coming from Europe. Elsewhere, the Mexican federation broke with regional body Concacaf to back him, aligning with Conmebol’s position that any attempt to remove the president must involve a vote of all 211 Fifa members. Infantino also retains unanimous support from the 54 associations within the Confederation of African Football.