Infantino denies having affair, paying off ex-lover while at UEFA

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has vehemently denied allegations of an affair and paying off an alleged former lover during his tenure as UEFA's secretary general. The accusations, published by The Telegraph, suggest Infantino also leveraged his position to promote the employee with whom he reportedly had an intimate relationship.

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strongly denies these allegations

Infantino, who served as UEFA's secretary general from 2009 to 2016, has been married since 2001. A FIFA spokesperson, responding to AFP on Saturday, stated that Infantino "strongly denies these allegations," labeling them as "categorically untrue" and "defamatory."

According to The Telegraph, which did not name its sources, the employee received a "six-figure sum" upon her departure, in addition to tuition fees for business school amounting to approximately £45,000 ($60,700).

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Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory.

UEFA acknowledged that a departure payment and MBA course fees were made to the individual. However, the European football governing body insisted that "the payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time," adding that these regulations have since been tightened.

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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 further stated that "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." Infantino is currently seeking re-election in March and has recently faced criticism over a shelved plan to open the World Cup to private investors, a plan opposed by UEFA.

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a departure payment was made to the individual in question