Fifa has strongly criticised what it describes as a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine the organisation and its president, Gianni Infantino, following a Daily Telegraph report alleging that Infantino's alleged lover received a severance payment from Uefa after an affair while he was its general secretary. The row comes as Infantino faces mounting pressure over his now-abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, which would have seen a new company handle commercial and ticketing rights with 21% sold to a private investor, and matters because it exposes a deepening rift between Fifa and European football's governing bodies.

Uefa says it has lost confidence in Infantino and maintains that its threat to boycott Fifa events remains on the table, while Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness has called on him to resign. Fifa insists Infantino was democratically elected and retains his mandate, dismissing the claims as "unsubstantiated" and "demonstrably false". Opposition is concentrated largely in Europe, whereas Mexico's federation broke from Concacaf to back Infantino, echoing Conmebol's stance that any removal must go through a vote of all 211 member associations, and he also has unanimous support from Caf's 54 African nations.