Gianni Infantino Faces Scrutiny Over Uefa Past and Allegations

Gianni Infantino is facing fresh scrutiny over his past at Uefa after a report claimed a woman alleged to have been his lover received a severance payment while he was the organisation’s general secretary.

According to an investigation by the Daily Telegraph, Uefa authorised a six-figure departure package for the woman, who is said to have had a relationship with Infantino during his time at European football’s governing body. Infantino, now Fifa president and married, rejects the claims outright.

A spokesman for Infantino was quoted by the paper as saying he "strongly denies these categorically untrue allegations". The response left no room for nuance: the accusations, they insisted, are false and defamatory.

Uefa did not dispute that money changed hands. In a statement, it confirmed that “a departure payment was made to the individual in question”, specifying that the agreement included covering the fees for her to complete an MBA at a local business school. The governing body stressed that all payments complied with the rules in force at the time, while noting that its regulations have since been tightened to match those of a “modern, high-profile organisation”.

Fifa, speaking to the Telegraph, went further in its defence of its president. “Fifa president Gianni Infantino strongly denies these allegations, and they are categorically untrue. Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory,” a spokesman said. The statement added 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.”

The timing is uncomfortable. Infantino is already fighting to secure his position at the top of world football amid anger over his abandoned attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. That proposal stirred deep resistance inside the game and raised questions over governance and control of its flagship tournament.

Now, as BBC Sport seeks comment from both Fifa and Infantino, the president finds himself battling not just political headwinds over his commercial vision for the World Cup, but also renewed questions about how power was exercised in the corridors he once walked at Uefa.