UEFA confirms departure payment
UEFA confirmed that a former employee received a departure payment and fees for an MBA course while Gianni Infantino served as general secretary. UEFA said the arrangement followed staff regulations then in force.
FIFA said Infantino strongly denied allegations of inappropriate conduct connected with the employee. The report emerged while the FIFA President was already facing pressure after the collapse of FIFA Forward Enterprise.
UEFA explains how the payment worked
UEFA said the former employee received a departure payment plus fees for an MBA course at a local business school. The organization did not identify the employee in its public statement.
UEFA said the payment complied with regulations in place at the time for departing staff. The organization added that those rules have been tightened since 2016, and current standards apply across all employee levels.
Gianni Infantino held UEFA role
Gianni Infantino became UEFA general secretary in October 2009 and remained in that position until he was elected FIFA President on February 26, 2016. The payment concerns his earlier tenure at UEFA.
The original report alleged that the employee received favorable treatment during that period. Infantino strongly denied the allegations, while FIFA said no complaint about his behavior had been raised at UEFA or FIFA.
FIFA rejects conduct allegations
FIFA said no employee at UEFA or FIFA had raised a complaint about Infantino’s behavior. It also said company actions involving employees, including departure and severance packages, had always been approved by the appropriate directors in accordance with applicable regulations.
The allegations emerged after FIFA withdrew FIFA Forward Enterprise. The proposal would have created a FIFA-controlled subsidiary combining commercial rights and tournament operations, with minority, non-controlling stakes offered to outside investors.
FIFA Forward dispute adds pressure
FIFA Forward Enterprise faced opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation. FIFA withdrew the proposal, acknowledged mistakes in the process, and said it would conduct a review, with a report to be presented to the FIFA Council.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, and members of the FIFA Management Board met in Rabat, Morocco, on August 5. Grafström and the Management Board members in attendance reaffirmed their full support for Infantino. FIFA also acknowledged that the FFE process should have been handled differently.
UEFA says it lost confidence in Infantino
UEFA said it had lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency after the FIFA Forward Enterprise dispute. UEFA and its 55 member associations had unanimously rejected the proposal before FIFA withdrew it.
FIFPRO said the episode had fundamentally broken confidence and called for stronger structural safeguards, binding engagement with professional football stakeholders, and a formal role for player representatives in FIFA governance.
CONMEBOL backs formal FIFA process
CONMEBOL expressed concern about repeated unilateral actions taken without dialogue and said it would not support any action or procedure that ignored or deviated from FIFA’s institutional mechanisms. It called for unity, institutional responsibility, stronger dialogue, and full respect for governance mechanisms.
CAF remained supportive of Infantino. Its member associations unanimously backed his 2027–2031 reelection bid on April 29, and CAF’s Executive Committee unanimously reconfirmed its support for him on August 6.
FIFA says critics target Infantino
FIFA issued a statement on August 8 saying that some critics were trying to undermine the organization and its President through allegations, insinuations, or misinformation rather than through established democratic procedures within FIFA.
FIFA said it welcomes legitimate scrutiny but will challenge inaccurate or misleading reporting. The organization also said Infantino remains President under the mandate of FIFA’s 211 member associations worldwide.
UEFA separates payment from allegations
UEFA confirmed that a departure payment and MBA fees were provided to the former employee. FIFA separately rejected allegations that those benefits were connected to inappropriate conduct by Infantino during his tenure.
UEFA said the departure payment complied with staff regulations in force at the time. The organization also said those regulations have since been tightened, and the current rules apply across all employee levels.
UEFA payment remains contested issue
The dispute combines a confirmed employment payment with contested allegations about its purpose. UEFA confirmed the departure payment and MBA fees, while Infantino and FIFA rejected allegations that the arrangement was linked to inappropriate conduct.
The controversy emerged during a wider FIFA governance dispute. UEFA, several national associations, and FIFPRO criticized Infantino’s leadership, while CAF and several other associations continued to support him during the August crisis.
Fun fact: Gianni Infantino is fluent in five languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Apparently, running a world soccer comes with a serious language requirement.
Gianni Infantino faces 2027 vote
Infantino announced on April 30 that he would seek another term as FIFA President in 2027. Potential rivals have until November 18, 2026, to announce their candidacy ahead of the FIFA Congress in Rabat, Morocco, in March 2027.
CONMEBOL said on August 6 that it would not support any action or procedure that ignored or deviated from FIFA’s institutional mechanisms. It called for unity, institutional responsibility, stronger dialogue, and full respect for governance mechanisms.
FIFA defends its election framework
FIFA’s August 8 statement said any process concerning its presidency must be in accordance with its statutes, democratic procedures, and established governance framework. It rejected attempts to bypass those mechanisms through allegations or misrepresentation.
The leadership dispute intensified on August 10, when UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and Concacaf jointly called for a fully independent review of the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. Potential rivals to Infantino have until November 18 to announce their candidacy for the 2027 presidential election.
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UEFA confirms facts as dispute continues
UEFA confirmed a departure payment and MBA course fees for the former employee. It said the payment complied with regulations in force at the time and that staff rules have been tightened since 2016.
FIFA continues to reject allegations linking the arrangement to inappropriate conduct by Infantino. The dispute comes before the November 18 presidential nomination deadline and the FIFA election scheduled through its established Congress process.
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Should UEFA’s explanation settle questions about the payment, or does the wider dispute surrounding Gianni Infantino deserve further scrutiny? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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