Gianni Infantino Under Scrutiny Over Alleged Relationship and Payment

Gianni Infantino faces fresh scrutiny after a report claimed that an alleged lover received a severance payment from Uefa during his time as the organisation’s general secretary.

According to an investigation by the Daily Telegraph, Uefa paid a six-figure sum to a woman who is said to have had a relationship with Infantino while he worked at European football’s governing body. Infantino, who is married, “strongly denies” the allegations.

A spokesman for the Fifa president was quoted by the paper as saying Infantino “strongly denies these categorically untrue allegations”, insisting any suggestion of misconduct was defamatory.

Uefa has confirmed that a payment was made to the woman in question, describing it as a “departure payment”. The organisation stated that the money covered fees for her to complete an MBA course at a local business school and stressed that all payments were compliant with the rules in place at the time.

Those regulations, Uefa added, have since been tightened and are now said to “reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organisation”.

The timing is awkward for Infantino. He is already under pressure over his stalled attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, a plan that drew fierce criticism and has fuelled questions about his leadership at Fifa.

Fifa, contacted along with Infantino by BBC Sport, has not yet issued a fresh public comment beyond the statement carried by the Telegraph. In that statement, a Fifa spokesman underlined 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”.

For now, Infantino’s camp is treating the story as a smear and Uefa is standing by the legality of the payment. The bigger issue lingers over Zurich: how many more storms can the Fifa president ride out and still command the authority the job demands?