the corruption to abominable levels.
From Wikipedia:
Infantino was implicated in the FIFA corruption scandal in documents released in the 2016 Panama Papers. They show that UEFA undertook deals with indicted figures where previously they had denied any relationship.
In July 2016, Infantino was interviewed by the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee on suspicion of breaches of the FIFA code of ethics. The investigation was focused on three issues: "several flights taken by Mr Infantino during the first months of his presidency, human resources matters related to hiring processes in the president's office, and Mr Infantino's refusal to sign the contract specifying his employment relationship with FIFA". Although a document was leaked describing illegitimate spending of funds by FIFA the body's expenses and governance were not investigated. The document alleged that Infantino had billed FIFA for personal expenses, including £8,795 for mattresses at his home, £6,829 for a stepper exercise machine, £1,086 for a tuxedo, £677 on flowers and £132 on personal laundry. In addition, Infantino demanded that FIFA hire an external driver for his family and advisors while he was away.
When Infantino accepted special treatment by the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts (Russia and Qatar respectively), the potential for a conflict of interest was raised. The hosts had organized private jets for Infantino and his staff related to visits in Russia and Qatar. The investigatory chamber was of the opinion that no violation had occurred. While the investigatory chamber discharged Infantino, criticism of his conduct continued. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of FC Bayern Munich, criticized Infantino for not fulfilling his promises regarding transparency, democracy and governance. "So far this has not succeeded in my eyes," he complained.
In July 2020 further allegations arose when Infantino was accused of having a secret meeting with Michael Lauber [de], the Attorney General of Switzerland. Lauber offered to resign after a court ruled that he had covered up the meeting and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding FIFA.
With the holding of the World Cup in Qatar, the issue of migrant workers' rights attracted attention. Qatar has been accused of unpaid wages, imposing excessive working hours, illegal recruitment, and the deaths of workers who helped build Qatar stadiums. The tournament has been condemned by human rights group Amnesty International, who have alleged that workers were subject to forced labor.
On 31 October 2023, Infantino announced that Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Infantino has a documented relationship with the Saudi regime. He has frequently promoted Saudi sporting events on social media and has frequently been photographed alongside Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman. He engaged in private diplomacy on Saudi Arabia's behalf, as he explored whether Greece and Egypt would be willing to partner with Saudi Arabia to host the 2030 World Cup. When Spain, Portugal and Morocco announced that they would bid together for the 2030 World Cup, it was considered unlikely that the bid could be beaten. For this reason, Saudi Arabia backed out of bidding for 2030.
In October 2023, FIFA announced that the first three games of the 2030 FIFA World Cup would be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, with the rest to be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. This ruled out European, African and South American nations from bidding to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, allowing only Asian or Oceanian bids. FIFA also unexpectedly sped up the bidding process for the World Cup, giving only 25 days for interested nations to express their intent to host. Within minutes, Saudi Arabia announced a bid, and within hours, the head of the Asian Football Confederation supported the Saudi bid. Infantino had also urged the AFC to fully support and unite around the Saudi bid, discouraging other AFC members from submitting their own bids.
During the 75th FIFA Congress on 15 May 2025 in Asunción, Infantino arrived two hours late to the meeting as a result of meeting with President of the United States Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. As a result, UEFA leaders all walked out in protest and accused Infantino of prioritizing political interests over football.
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