FIFA warns of effort to undermine Infantino as leadership crisis deepens
FIFA on Saturday warned against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine President Gianni Infantino, saying attempts to challenge his leadership must follow the governing body’s statutes and democratic procedures.The statement came amid an increasingly bitter standoff over Infantino’s leadership following the collapse of his proposal to raise about $4.2 billion by selling a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments.The plan triggered criticism from UEFA, national associations and senior FIFA officials, led to calls for Infantino to resign and prompted a crisis meeting in Morocco this week at which FIFA’s leadership reaffirmed its support for the president.FIFA did not identify those it said were seeking to undermine Infantino or specify which reports or allegations it was referring to.The statement followed reports by The Daily Telegraph about payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino’s time as the European governing body’s general secretary, allegations he has denied and that FIFA has rejected as unfounded.“Those who do not have the support of FIFA’s Member Associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA’s established democratic processes,” FIFA said.It said recent reporting had included “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” concerning FIFA and its president, adding that it would challenge inaccurate or misleading reports “directly and vigorously.”FIFA added it would not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of its president that was inconsistent with its statutes, democratic procedures and governance framework.“