Gianni Infantino

On 8 August 2026, FIFA president Gianni Infantino faced fresh allegations reported by the Daily Telegraph that UEFA made a six-figure payment to a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair while he was UEFA's general secretary. Infantino strongly denied the claims, and FIFA described them as categorically untrue. UEFA confirmed that a departure payment was made to the individual, along with fees for an MBA course, and said the payment was in line with regulations for departing staff at the time. The allegations come amid ongoing pressure on Infantino's leadership. He previously faced controversy over a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, which was dropped after backlash. Infantino has received support from football authorities in Africa and South America, while UEFA has expressed opposition. His future remains uncertain, with questions about whether enough FIFA council members would support a vote of no confidence.

Key Claims by Channel

Claim
Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels
The Daily Telegraph reported that UEFA made a six-figure payment to a woman alleged to have had an affair with Infantino during his time as UEFA's general secretary.				Reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV
Reported by a few · 2–4 channels
Infantino told FIFA's in-house media that the plan was not mandatory.	Not reported by Channel 5			Not reported by GB News		Reported by Sky News
Several senior executives were absent from the management board meeting, including Arsene Wenger, Jill Ellis, Sarai Berman, and Kevin Lamour.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV
Infantino has received support from football authorities in Africa and South America.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
Infantino has not resigned and remains FIFA president.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
Only on one channel
Infantino is married.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Not reported by Sky News
UEFA said it would boycott FIFA events until satisfied about the World Cup sell-off issue.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
A no-confidence vote could be triggered if 19 of 37 FIFA council members vote against Infantino.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
Infantino called a management meeting in Morocco for some employees, not all were invited.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
Infantino attended the inauguration of the Colombian president.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Reported by Sky News
Pressure is mounting on Infantino to step down as FIFA president.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News		Not reported by Sky News
Infantino faced controversy over a plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors, which was dropped after backlash.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC News	Reported by BBC One	Not reported by GB News	Not reported by ITV	Not reported by Sky News

This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.