Infantino Denies UEFA Payment Allegations

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has categorically denied allegations that he paid a former UEFA employee with whom he was allegedly in an intimate relationship, according to a report by The Telegraph.

The British newspaper reported that Infantino, who served as secretary general of European football's governing body from 2009 to 2016, also used his influence to secure a promotion for the same employee.

The Telegraph, which did not cite its sources, reported that the employee received a "six-figure sum" when she left UEFA at an unspecified time, in addition to tuition fees of around £45,000 ($60,700) for a business school course.

UEFA acknowledged that "a departure payment was made to the individual in question" at the time, along with payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school.

However, UEFA said the payment complied with "the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time", adding that "such regulations have been tightened since 2016".

Infantino, who has been married since 2001, strongly denied the allegations through a FIFA spokesperson quoted by The Telegraph.

The spokesperson described the allegations as "categorically untrue", while FIFA said any suggestion of inappropriate conduct or violations of statutes or regulations was defamatory.

"No employee at UEFA and FIFA has ever raised a complaint regarding Infantino's behaviour because there never was an incident where he was involved," FIFA added.

The allegations emerged after a week of scathing criticism surrounding a now-shelved private investment plan involving FIFA.

When contacted by AFP on Saturday, a FIFA spokesperson had not responded. UEFA confirmed the departure payment and MBA fee arrangements but maintained that they were consistent with the rules in place at the time.