Criminal proceedings opened against FIFA’s Infantino

Criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino have been opened by the Swiss special prosecutor for dealings with Swiss Attorney Michael Lauber.

Lauber offered his resignation last week and it has now been reported that he had an undisclosed meeting with Infantino in June 2017. A court alleged last week that Lauber had covered up the meeting while his office investigated corruption allegations surrounding football’s governing body.

Both Infantino and Lauber have previously denied any wrongdoing.

The authority overseeing Switzerland’s federal prosecutors on Thursday said special prosecutor Stefan Keller had found indications of criminal conduct related to the meetings. Infantino, 50, was elected president of FIFA in 2016 after beating favourite Sheikh Salman over two rounds of voting and was re-elected to the post in 2019. He has also been elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Speaking at the time of his election as FIFA president, Infantino said it was time to “once again focus on the beautiful game of football.”

“I cannot express my feelings in this moment.

“We will restore the image and the respect of FIFA and everyone in the world will applaud us.

“We are finally going to ensure that we can once again focus on the beautiful game of football.”

The news comes after FIFA ratified relief plans for football communities and national associations around the world which have been affected by the coronavirus crisis. The organisation has made $1.5 billion (£1.15bn) available for the fund, with Infantino saying: “This relief plan is a great example of football’s solidarity and commitment in such unprecedented times.”