Uefa Confirms Departure Payment Amid Infantino Scrutiny

Uefa has confirmed it paid a six-figure “departure payment” and covered MBA fees for a former female employee who is alleged to have been in a relationship with Gianni Infantino during his time as the organisation’s general secretary.

The payment, first revealed by the Daily Telegraph, was made when the woman left Uefa and came against the backdrop of claims about a past relationship with Infantino, now the Fifa president. His spokesman has told the Telegraph that Infantino “strongly denies these categorically untrue allegations”.

In a detailed statement, Uefa did not address the nature of the relationship but accepted that a settlement had been agreed when the employee departed, insisting it complied with internal rules at the time.

“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 a MBA course at a local business school,” a Uefa spokesperson said. “The payment was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time.

“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 timing is awkward for Infantino. He has been under sustained pressure for more than a week over his controversial push to bring private investors into a new company that would run Fifa’s competitions, including both the men’s and women’s World Cups.

Infantino spent 16 years at Uefa and served as general secretary from 2009 until his election as Fifa president in February 2016. His long tenure in Nyon is now being re-examined just as his grip on Zurich faces one of its most serious tests.

His investment proposal has already been slapped down by Uefa and two other continental confederations, who rejected the plan outright. Uefa has gone further, warning that its 55 member associations could boycott Fifa competitions unless the project is abandoned.

On Wednesday, Infantino secured a measure of internal support when Fifa’s management board backed him at a meeting in Morocco. He issued an apology over how the process had been handled, but stopped short of shelving the idea entirely.

Uefa, unimpressed, responded a day later with a stark message: Wednesday’s announcement “changes nothing”.

The European body’s threat of a boycott still stands. Now, with questions swirling around a past departure payment and the tightening of staff regulations since he left, Infantino faces mounting scrutiny on two fronts – his record at Uefa and his vision for Fifa’s future.