By Andrew Warshaw
June 6 – FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has come under renewed pressure to explain a series of potentially unlawful manoeuvres that threaten to seriously derail his presidency after 100 days in the job.
No sooner had Infantino, in interviews with Swiss newspapers, launched a savage attack on his critics for orchestrating a media “witch-hunt” against him than he was embroiled in another storm that threatens to undermine what was supposed to be a new era of transparency and credibility after the corruption-plagued Sepp Blatter era.
According to reports in Germany and Switzerland, Infantino flew by private jet from Milan to Rome after the Champions League final to visit the Pope and then on from Rome to Geneva. The first reports were that alleged the flight was arranged by a benefactor but these were subsequently withdrawn. FIFA has also denied that any of their funds were used to pay for the private jet. But someone paid for the flight somewhere and no-one seems to want to say it was them.
FIFA ethics rules specifically forbid conduct that could be construed as conflict of interest but it is not the first time Infantino has travelled by private jet since succeeding Blatter on February 26. Shortly after the election, in his first presidential function, Infantino talked up the fact that he had taken Easyjet to the International FA Board meeting in Cardiff. It is understood, however, that he has since used a private jet between Moscow and Qatar during a visit to 2018 and 2022 World Cup officials.
While FIFA vehemently deny any suggestion of impropriety by Infantino, aides of Markus Kattner, the former FIFA finance chief who was fired with immediate effect last month, claim part of the reason he was ousted was that he questioned Infantino’s travel arrangements and general use of expenses. According to these same aides, a few weeks before sacked, Kattner was thrown out of Infantino’s office.
The relationship between the pair is said to have broken down irretrievably after Kattner, who was also acting deputy secretary-general, was barred from attending a meeting of FIFA’s ruling Council in Mexico City where the notorious alleged plot to remove Domenico Scala as head of the audit and compliance committee was reportedly hatched.
Last Friday, FIFA’s lawyers revealed staggering details of how Blatter, former secretary-general Jerome Valcke and Kattner paid themselves massive salary increases and World Cup bonuses totalling £55 million over five years without anyone else apparently knowing.
Yet as Infantino’s reign moved past its 100th day, the narrative of his own brief tenure has been one of high stakes, personal agendas and wounded egos.
Sources close to both Kattner and Scala, who resigned after falling out with Infantino, claim Friday’s revelation of so-called secret payments to Blatter, Valcke and Kattner was deliberately timed to create a smokescreen and take the heat off Infantino. “The lawyers will have known about this for several months,” said one source. “The timing is questionable to say the least.”
Kattner aides insist there were no ‘secret’ payments and that however obscene the sums might appear, they were permitted under FIFA’s own compensation policy and broke no rules.
FIFA’s lawyers are now understood to have sent a letter to Kattner giving the written reasons for his dismissal even though he is still believed to have had no private hearing.
“What we have seen so far does not justify an immediate termination without notice which in Switzerland is only imposed for the worst possible crimes,” a member of Kattner’s inside team said.
Meanwhile, in another move flagged up by his critics as an act of favouritism though without any firm evidence as such, Infantino has made no public comment on the recent appointment Luca Piazza, a colleague and neighbour from his own Swiss village, to work in the president’s office. FIFA have not officially announced Piazza’s appointment either but a spokesperson confirmed to Insideworldfootball that he took up employment last month.
According to former FIFA marketing and media guru Guido Tognoni, Infantino is simply enjoying the trappings of power and has lost more credibility in three months than Sepp Blatter did in 20 years. “No betting shop in England would give odds of Infantino still being FIFA president within a year,” Tognoni was quoted as saying.
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