FIFA has released a statement in support of its president, Gianni Infantino, denouncing what it describes as a coordinated effort to undermine his leadership within the organization. The statement came out on Saturday, responding to a report from The Daily Telegraph questioning a payment made by UEFA to a female staff member who had previously worked with Infantino during his time as the general secretary of European soccer’s governing body.

UEFA acknowledged the existence of a “departure payment” to the employee and stated that it complied with the regulations in place at that time. Infantino’s tenure at UEFA spanned 16 years before he assumed the role of FIFA president.

In its statement, FIFA criticized those critical of Infantino, accusing them of attempting to weaken his authority and unseat him without following the appropriate procedures. The organization emphasized that unsupported claims and misinformation should not be presented as facts and that efforts to undermine the democratic process of FIFA’s governance are unwarranted.

Infantino had faced backlash over a proposal to sell World Cup profits to private equity firms, a plan that was rejected by UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC. Despite this, FIFA’s management board expressed support for Infantino during a recent meeting in Morocco, where he also apologized for the handling of the proposal. UEFA’s threat to have its member countries boycott FIFA events until the plan was abandoned still stands, with UEFA emphasizing that recent changes do not alter their stance.

While UEFA confirmed that the exit payment was compliant with regulations at the time, it highlighted that rules have since been strengthened to align with modern organizational practices.