UEFA has confirmed that a “departure payment” was made to a female employee who was allegedly in a relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino while he was the organisation’s general secretary.
The payment was disclosed following a report by The Telegraph that the woman received a six-figure sum after the alleged relationship with Infantino, who has been married since 2001.
UEFA also confirmed that it paid fees for an MBA course at a local business school for the employee.
A UEFA spokesperson told ITV News on Saturday that the payment complied with regulations governing departing staff at the time.
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“We are aware of the allegations and can confirm a departure payment was made to the individual in question, coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school.
“The payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that UEFA had since tightened its staff regulations.
“Such regulations have been tightened since 2016 and the current staff regulations – which apply to all UEFA employees at whatever level – reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organisation,” the spokesperson added.
Infantino worked at UEFA for 16 years and served as the organisation’s general secretary from 2009 to 2016 before being elected FIFA president.
The report comes as Infantino faces mounting criticism over his proposal to seek private investment in a company that would operate FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
The FIFA president held crisis talks with sporting body executives in Rabat, Morocco, this week and subsequently received support from the organisation’s management board.
However, UEFA has maintained its threat that its 55 member associations could boycott FIFA competitions, despite Infantino apologising for what he described as errors surrounding the proposed investment scheme.
Infantino is due to seek re-election as FIFA president next year, although no challenger has publicly emerged.
Several national football associations, including those of Finland, England, Wales, Serbia, Germany and Sweden, have withdrawn their support for Infantino, according to ITV News.
The Romanian and Czech football associations have also indicated they may not support him, although they have not formally declared their positions.
Meanwhile, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Lebanon and Morocco are among the countries that have publicly backed Infantino.