FIFA President Gianni Infantino Says Leadership Challenges Must Follow Statutes and Democratic Procedures

The statement came after the collapse of his proposal to raise about $4.2bn by selling a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments. The plan triggered criticism from UEFA, national associations and senior FIFA officials; led to calls for Infantino to resign; and prompted a crisis meeting in Morocco this past week, at which FIFA's leadership reaffirmed its support for the president. FIFA did not identify those it said were seeking to undermine Infantino or specify which reports or allegations it was referring.

The statement followed reports by The Daily Telegraph about payments made by UEFA to a former employee with whom the newspaper said Infantino was having an intimate relationship during his time as the European governing body's general secretary. He has denied those allegations, and FIFA has rejected them as unfounded.