Infantino cleared of wrongs in FIFA ethics probe

Gianni Infantino has been cleared of all wrongdoings by FIFA ethics committee following an investigation into his activities as president.

 Infantino was elected FIFA president on 26 February, 2016.

He took charge of the football’s world governing body after the disgraced Sepp Blatter resigned.

He was probed over his expenses, recruitment and alleged sacking of whistleblowers.

FIFA’s ethics committee found no “conflicts of interest” and no breaches of the organisation’s ethics code.

“The benefits enjoyed by Mr Infantino were not considered improper,” it said.

Reacting to the decision, Infantino said he was pleased with the committee’s decision.

He equally thanked all those who co-operated with the ethics committee to ensure that the facts were heard and the truth prevailed.

The world of football was thrown aback when it was suddenly garnered that Infantino was under scrutiny.

He was scrutinised by the investigatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee.

At the time, the Swiss lawyer was said to be “very confident” no further action would be taken.

Sources close to the former UEFA secretary general described the allegations as “absurd” and “baseless”.

“Mr Infantino’s conduct with regard to his contract with FIFA, if at all, constituted internal compliance issues rather than an ethical matter,” the ethics committee added.

What were the allegations?

A leaked internal Fifa memo outlined a series of claims relating to Infantino. The claims were that he:

– Left himself exposed to claims of a possible conflict of interest by using private jets laid on by a World Cup bidding country

– Filled senior posts without checking people’s eligibility for the role

– Billed Fifa for mattresses, flowers, a tuxedo, an exercise machine and personal laundry

– Demanded FIFA hire an external driver, who then billed the governing body for driving Infantino’s family and advisors around while he was abroad

Supporters of Gianni Infantino spoke throughout this investigation of his confidence over being cleared. 

He has no case to answer but the Swiss Italian has been damaged by the process.

Questions concerning his judgement have been raised.

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