FIFA Refutes Allegations of Special Privileges for President Infantino's Romantic Partner as "Unproven, False Claims"

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has directly refuted allegations of special privileges surrounding President Gianni Infantino, calling them a "coordinated and persistent attempt to destabilize" the organization.

In a statement released today (August 9), FIFA said, "It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a coordinated and persistent attempt to undermine FIFA and its president," adding, "These allegations are nothing more than unproven or outright false claims."

FIFA also stated, "The president was democratically elected by member associations and continues to carry out his duties under that mandate," and emphasized, "What cannot be achieved through democratic procedures should not be pursued through allegations, insinuations, and misinformation."

Previously, the British daily The Telegraph reported that President Infantino had an inappropriate relationship with a female employee while serving as the general secretary of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

The female employee, who previously held an administrative role, was promoted to a management position while her relationship with President Infantino continued, and her salary reportedly increased by about 30 percent to an annual salary of approximately 160,000 Swiss francs (about 280 million won).

Recently, President Infantino has faced strong backlash from the football community, including UEFA, as he pushed to transfer commercial rights for major FIFA tournaments, such as the World Cup, to private investors.

UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA-hosted tournaments including the World Cup, and football associations across Europe, including England, withdrew their support for President Infantino.

On the 7th, Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, publicly called for President Infantino's resignation.

However, the BBC reported that support for President Infantino continues outside of Europe.

According to the BBC, the Mexican Football Federation declared its support for President Infantino, opposing the stance of its continental confederation, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have also expressed their support for President Infantino.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.