FIFA has launched a strong defence of president Gianni Infantino, accusing critics of carrying out a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine both the organisation and its leader.
The statement came after a report by The Daily Telegraph raised allegations concerning Infantino's personal life and claimed that an alleged former lover received a severance payment from UEFA following an affair during Infantino's time as the organisation's general secretary.
A FIFA spokesperson told the newspaper that Infantino "strongly denies" the allegations, describing them as categorically untrue.
FIFA has since issued its own statement, condemning what it described as "unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims". The governing body also warned that speculation and insinuation should not be presented as established fact.
Infantino Faces Growing Pressure From Europe
The controversy comes as Infantino faces increasing opposition from UEFA and several European football associations over his abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
The plan involved establishing a new company to oversee FIFA's commercial and ticketing rights, with a 21% stake potentially being sold to a private investment firm.
UEFA has publicly stated that it has lost confidence in Infantino. On Friday, Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness also called for the Swiss-Italian administrator to step down.
European football's governing body has further warned that a potential boycott of FIFA events remains possible. UEFA has said it has yet to receive sufficient guarantees that the FFE proposal cannot be brought back in the future.
Despite the growing criticism, FIFA insists that Infantino continues to hold a legitimate mandate.
"The Fifa president was democratically elected by Fifa's Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate," the organisation said.
FIFA also accused some of its opponents of attempting to bypass the organisation's established democratic procedures.
It argued that individuals and associations without sufficient support among FIFA's members should not attempt to achieve through allegations, insinuations or misinformation what they cannot accomplish through the governing body's formal processes.
European Opposition Is Not Universal
Much of the resistance to Infantino has come from within Europe, but the FIFA president continues to receive significant backing from other parts of the football world.
The Mexican Football Federation publicly supported Infantino, breaking with the position of its regional governing body, Concacaf.
Mexico's federation also backed a position previously expressed by Conmebol, South America's football governing body. Both organisations have indicated that any attempt to remove Infantino should require a vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations.
Infantino also retains unanimous support from the 54 member associations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The division highlights the increasingly complicated political landscape surrounding FIFA, with European associations pushing back against Infantino while several federations from other regions continue to support his leadership.
FIFA: Criticism Does Not Justify False Claims
Infantino recently summoned members of FIFA's management board to a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday as pressure over the FFE proposal continued to grow.
Following the meeting, FIFA released a statement on behalf of Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. The organisation apologised for the controversy surrounding the FFE proposal while insisting that it would no longer accept attacks on its integrity, governance or established procedures.
Saturday's statement maintained the same defensive position.
FIFA acknowledged that organisational change can challenge established interests but argued that disagreements over those changes should not be used to undermine Infantino's democratic mandate or the institution he leads.
The governing body also stressed that it remains open to legitimate scrutiny while drawing a distinction between criticism and what it considers misleading reporting.
"Fifa welcomes legitimate scrutiny," the statement said, while warning against presenting unverified allegations as facts.
FIFA added that it would challenge reporting it considers inaccurate or misleading "directly and vigorously".
The latest response comes as tensions between FIFA's leadership and parts of European football continue to escalate, leaving Infantino facing one of the most significant periods of political pressure since becoming president of the global governing body.