FIFA hits back at claims about Infantino's alleged mistress
World football body dismisses allegations as coordinated attack on president, while The Telegraph reports European governing body could probe payments from 2000-2016.
World football body dismisses allegations as coordinated attack on president, while The Telegraph reports European governing body could probe payments from 2000-2016.
FIFA issued an urgent statement on Saturday, August 9, 2026, categorically rejecting media reports about an alleged extramarital affair and the hiring of President Gianni Infantino's alleged mistress, calling them part of a coordinated campaign aimed at undermining his position and the organization itself.
Reacting to claims that have surfaced in recent days in certain media outlets, FIFA stated that all information regarding the alleged hiring of Infantino's mistress while he headed UEFA is "unsubstantiated claims and clearly inaccurate information."
"Recent reports have contained unsubstantiated claims and clearly inaccurate information. Speculation and insinuation should not be presented as fact, and repeating a claim does not make it true," the statement, published on Kurir's website, read.
The world football body emphasized that Infantino was democratically elected and serves his mandate based on the trust placed in him by member associations. Additionally, they stressed they will not support, facilitate, or tolerate any electoral process that is not in line with FIFA's Statutes and democratic procedures.
FIFA went a step further, calling out unnamed individuals it claims are behind the entire affair. "It is increasingly evident that there is a coordinated and ongoing attempt by individuals to undermine FIFA and its president," the statement said.
They also said that those who lack the support of member associations should not try to achieve through "allegations, insinuations, or disinformation" what they cannot achieve through democratic processes. The statement follows earlier remarks from the South American (CONMEBOL) and African (CAF) football confederations.
Meanwhile, London's The Telegraph reports that the European football governing body (UEFA) could launch an internal investigation into Infantino, focusing on the period when he served as its general secretary from 2009 to 2016.
According to the newspaper, the investigation would cover 16 years of Infantino's work at UEFA, from 2000 to 2016, prompted by earlier reports of an alleged six-figure settlement. The Telegraph previously reported that UEFA paid such a settlement to an employee who was in a romantic relationship with Infantino while he was general secretary.
Infantino has been married since 2001 and is the father of four children. He was elected FIFA president in 2016 and has since been re-elected twice without opposition.
