UEFA Examines Allegation of Payment to Gianni Infantino's Alleged Mistress

UEFA has acknowledged it is examining an allegation that European football’s governing body paid off an alleged mistress of Gianni Infantino during his time in Switzerland.

The Telegraph reports that while Infantino was serving as general secretary at UEFA, a woman said to have been in a relationship with the now FIFA president received a six-figure payment. The newspaper says UEFA covered the cost of her MBA after she left the organisation.

Those claims have been met with a forceful denial from Zurich.

In a statement to The Telegraph, a FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA president Gianni Infantino strongly denies these allegations, and they are categorically untrue. Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory.

“No employee at UEFA and FIFA has ever raised a complaint regarding Mr Infantino's behaviour because there never was an incident where he was involved. All company actions related to employees, including any departure and severance packages, have always been approved by the appropriate directors in accordance with all applicable regulations.”

UEFA, contacted by Sky Sports News, did not dispute that a payment was made. It did, however, frame the transaction as routine under the rules in force at the time.

In its statement, UEFA said: “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. 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 matters. Infantino worked at UEFA from 2000 until 2016, when he left to become FIFA president, stepping into a role still scarred by years of corruption scandals and reform pledges.

Now, with UEFA confirming the existence of the payment and FIFA branding any suggestion of wrongdoing as defamatory, scrutiny turns to the small print: what those old regulations allowed, why they were later tightened, and how governance in football’s most powerful offices will stand up to yet another test.