Infantino Staying On As Fifa Blasts Swiss Probe

By Dailysports on August 3, 2020

Fifa president Gianni Infantino will continue in his post, world football's governing body insisted Sunday, as they blasted the launch of Swiss criminal proceedings against him.

“There was and is absolutely no reason to open any investigation because nothing remotely criminal has happened and there is nothing at all to suggest any form of criminal wrongdoing,” Fifa said in a media release.

“The Fifa president will continue to fully assume his functions within Fifa and fulfil his duties and will continue to cooperate with the authorities in Switzerland and around the world.”

Special prosecutor Stefan Keller started proceedings on Thursday as part of an investigation into suspected collusion between Infantino and Switzerland's attorney general Michael Lauber, the country’s top prosecutor.

Lauber, who offered his resignation on 24 July, was in charge of Switzerland's probe into the towering corruption scandal that exploded at the heart of Zurich-based Fifa in 2015.

But he was forced to recuse himself from the investigation in June 2019, following media revelations that he had held several undeclared meetings with Infantino during the probe.

Swiss authorities said Keller “reached the conclusion that... there are indications of criminal conduct” in relation to meetings between Infantino, Lauber and another official, Rinaldo Arnold, in 2016 and 2017.

“This concerns abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders and incitement to these acts,” the authorities said.

Fifa hit back on Sunday, accusing Keller of having brought forward no legal grounds for his probe.

“Keller has presented no serious elements or legal basis for the opening of any investigation and lacks any detail as to the substance of the case.

“Fifa and the Fifa president categorically deny any implication or suggestion that the Fifa president would ever have attempted to exert any form of improper influence” on Lauber.

Fifa said it was “not illegal anywhere in the world” to meet a prosecutor.

It said the meeting between Infantino and Lauber was “entirely logical” given that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) was conducting investigations in more than 20 cases in Fifa-related matters.

The organisation said such meetings or contacts were “routine” during an investigation.

It said the point of the meeting was to offer Fifa’s “full support” for the investigations, and Infantino attended in “good faith”.

“Fifa was trying to restore trust in the institution at that time,” it said, finding itself “in a disastrous situation and at risk of being designated a criminal organisation by the US authorities”.

Fifa said that “in no way whatsoever” were the meetings secret, and they had been arranged by the OAG.

Fifa claimed that meeting a prosecutor was “the best guarantee that any such meeting is legitimate”.

It also insisted there was “no obligation” on the Fifa president to keep minutes of such meetings.

Switzerland has pursued a number of cases since a raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich in May 2015 led to the arrests of a several Fifa executives and exposed an allegedly corrupt underbelly in world football.

In total, more than 20 Fifa proceedings have been opened in Switzerland over the past five years into allegations of corruption and vote-buying, and allegations over the awarding of television rights contracts. (AFP)

•PHOTO: Gianni Infantino 

Source Dailysports

Posted August 3, 2020


 

You may also like...
Zenith Sports unveils Russia 2018 World Cup kit...

De Bruyne and Fernandinho Return To Action for...

LATEST FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Arsenal star stunned by move for Vardy

Controversial late goal rescues Spain vs Morocco

'Napoli reject Man City's Jorginho bid'

 

Latest News Nigeria beat Cameroon to reach IHF final 27 schools for Doregos Basketball Championship Super Falcons to play France’s Les Bleues in friendly SWAN suspends ban on coverage of Anambra FA activities Joshua among boxing’s top three earners in 2024 Oshoala makes history with Bay FC Nnamani hails team over IHF bright start Flamingos lift U-17 W’Cup Fair Play Trophy Rangers Intl, SWAN partner on sports collaboration in SE LAGOS SWAN CELEBRATES AIG ZONE 2 ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND 30 DAYS IN OFFICE Traders Cup: Upholstery Soccer Team Secured 2nd Win To Advance To Round Two Lagos SWAN Celebrates Oba Akiolu, Iyaloja General, AIG Fayoade

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,142 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,269 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,350 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (43,991 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (43,931 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (43,879 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (43,718 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,289 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,333 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,036 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,489 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (38,916 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media