LONDON (AP) 鈥� has issued a statement defending its president, Gianni Infantino, against what it calls a 鈥渃oncerted and ongoing effort鈥� to undermine his leadership of the organization.
The statement was released Saturday, a day after a report by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph raising questions about an exit package paid by UEFA to a female staffer who worked with Infantino when he was general secretary of European soccer鈥檚 governing body.
UEFA confirmed that a 鈥渄eparture payment鈥� was made to the employee and said it was 鈥渋n line鈥� with regulations at the time.
Infantino worked at UEFA for 16 years before being elected FIFA president.
In the statement Saturday, FIFA accused Infantino鈥檚 critics of trying to weaken his authority and remove him from office without due process.
鈥淚t is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president,鈥� the FIFA statement said. 鈥淭hose who do not have the support of FIFA鈥檚 member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA鈥檚 established democratic processes.鈥�
It said some reporting has included 鈥渦nsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims鈥� which shouldn’t be presented as fact.
鈥淐hange inevitably challenges established interests, but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of FIFA鈥檚 president or the institution he was elected to lead.鈥�
Infantino faced intense backlash after details of his plan to were published. UEFA and two other continental confederations 鈥� North America鈥檚 CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation 鈥� rejected the plan.
He did last Wednesday following a meeting in Morocco, and he apologized over the process. UEFA鈥檚 threat to have its 55 member countries until the plan was scrapped remained, with UEFA saying Thursday that the announcement 鈥渃hanges nothing.鈥�
While confirming the exit payment 鈥渨as in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time,鈥� UEFA said the rules had been tightened since 2016 and currently 鈥渞eflect those found in a modern, high-profile organization.鈥�
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