UEFA payment disclosure adds to scrutiny facing FIFA president Gianni Infantino

Gianni Infantino has rejected allegations surrounding a six-figure payment made by UEFA to a woman said to have been in a relationship with him while he was the organisation’s general secretary.

The payment was reportedly made when the woman’s professional association with UEFA ended, according to an investigation by the Daily Telegraph. The matter dates back to the period between 2009 and 2016, when Infantino was secretary general of European football’s governing body.

A spokesperson for Infantino told the newspaper that the FIFA president “strongly denies these completely unfounded allegations”.

A FIFA spokesperson added: “FIFA President Gianni Infantino strongly denies these allegations, which are entirely untrue. Any suggestion of inappropriate behaviour or a breach of rules or regulations is defamatory.”

The spokesperson continued: “No employee of UEFA or FIFA has ever made a complaint concerning Mr Infantino’s conduct, because there was no incident involving him.”

UEFA confirmed that a payment had been made to the woman when her professional relationship with the organisation ended.

The governing body said the money covered the cost of completing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at a local business school. UEFA also said the payment complied with the regulations in force at the time.

Those rules have since been tightened and are now “similar to those applied in modern and high-level institutions”, UEFA said.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the sum was in six figures and was paid while Infantino was working for UEFA.

The allegations emerge at a sensitive time for the 56-year-old, who is already facing increasing pressure over his position as FIFA president. That pressure has followed controversial proposals connected to plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private-sector investors.

Infantino apologised for “mistakes” in proposals relating to the private investment plan, but did not step down after receiving the backing of senior executives at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.

European national teams have threatened to boycott FIFA events despite the cancellation of the private investment plans, saying that certain conditions had not been met.

Infantino has received support from South America’s governing body CONMEBOL and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Football associations in Mexico, one of the co-hosts of the World Cup, and Argentina, the tournament’s runners-up, have also backed the FIFA president.

UEFA confirmed the payment while Infantino’s spokesperson and FIFA rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing. BBC Sport has contacted FIFA and Infantino for comment on the allegations.

Infantino joined UEFA in 2000 and became the organisation’s general secretary in 2009. He remained in that role until 2016, when he was elected FIFA president.

The latest claims add to the scrutiny surrounding Infantino as criticism continues over the proposed World Cup investment plan. Although those plans have been cancelled, the wider dispute has continued, leaving further questions about his future at the head of world football.