UEFA investigates large severance package for former Infantino employee

Pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to mount.

UEFA has now confirmed a payment made in 2011 to a former employee of the 56-year-old. The circumstances surrounding it could prove embarrassing for the Swiss.

As exclusively reported by the British newspaper "Telegraph", UEFA paid a six-figure sum to a close employee of then-Secretary General Infantino upon her departure from the organization. She is also said to have had an MBA degree financed.

Previously, the woman is reported to have rapidly risen within the association. Her annual salary was reportedly 160,000 Swiss Francs at the time.

UEFA to Investigate Incident

In a statement issued Friday evening, UEFA confirmed that a payment had been made. At the same time, the association emphasized that it has since "tightened" its regulations to "meet those of a modern, high-profile organization".

An internal investigation will now seek to clarify how the payments came about and who authorized them. It will also examine what role Aleksander Ceferin, who has been UEFA President since 2016, played in the matter.

FIFA Rejects Allegations

Infantino himself rejected the allegations in a statement from FIFA. "Any insinuation of improper conduct or a breach of statutes or regulations is defamatory," the statement read.

FIFA further emphasized: "All actions taken by the organization relating to employees, including departures and severance arrangements, have always been approved by the relevant executives in compliance with all applicable regulations."

Infantino served UEFA in various capacities since 2000 and was appointed the association's Secretary General in 2009. In 2016, he moved to FIFA and was elected President there.