Fifa Criticizes Media for Alleged Campaign Against Infantino

Fifa issued a statement on Saturday evening attacking Uefa and prominent figures in European football, alleging a "concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president," Gianni Infantino, amidst escalating tensions within the sport. Uefa has indicated that it considers Infantino's leadership unsustainable due to his involvement in controversial World Cup commercial plans, while the Norwegian Football Federation has vocally called for his resignation. In response, Fifa accused these critics of attempting to disrupt the organization’s democratic processes.

Fifa’s latest defense of Infantino came after Uefa confirmed a "departure payment" was made to a female employee reported to have had a relationship with Infantino when he served as general secretary over a decade ago. The Daily Telegraph reported that the payment amounted to six figures, a claim that Fifa has categorically dismissed as "untrue."

Furthermore, Fifa accused critics of Infantino of trying to remove him prior to the presidential election scheduled for March. Reports indicated that Uefa was seeking to gather support from other confederations to call an Emergency Fifa Congress, which could potentially lead to a vote of no confidence against Infantino. However, while Uefa’s members could procure enough votes to call a session, it remains uncertain if they could amass the necessary 106 votes from the 211 Fifa members to oust Infantino. The North American confederation, Concacaf, has aligned with Uefa, and there is some backing from the Asian Football Confederation, while both the Confederation of African Football and the South American confederation, Conmebol, have publicly supported Infantino.

A Fifa spokesperson reiterated, "Fifa will not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the Fifa President that is inconsistent with Fifa’s Statutes, democratic procedures, and established governance framework." Infantino was emphasized to have been democratically elected by Fifa’s Member Associations and continues to operate under their mandate.

The tensions peaked following Uefa's threat to boycott its tournaments unless Fifa abandoned plans to sell 20% of a new entity set to manage World Cup commercial assets. These plans were subsequently dropped less than 48 hours after Uefa’s threat. A new statement from Uefa reaffirmed their stance despite Fifa stating it had Infantino's full support following a crisis management meeting.

Fifa now believes Uefa is instigating coordinated efforts to remove Infantino, although the specific demands from Uefa for lifting the boycott remain unclear. The boycott is set to face its first significant test next month at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

Additionally, Fifa's statement included pointed remarks about the media, a common tactic employed by Infantino. "Recent reporting has included unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims concerning Fifa and its president," the spokesperson stated. Fifa urged for the distinction between speculation and fact. "Fifa welcomes legitimate scrutiny, but scrutiny is not a license to distort facts or to amplify unfounded allegations. Where reporting is misleading, Fifa will respond directly and vigorously."

Fifa concluded by affirming its commitment to its 211 member associations and to the broader football community.