FIFA closes ethics violation case against president Infantino

FIFA president, Gianni Infantino has been cleared of violating the world governing body’s regulations after a preliminary investigation by its ethics committee.

Infantino is the subject of a criminal investigation over an alleged secret meeting with Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber. Both deny wrongdoing.

FIFA said documents shared by the Swiss courts were scrutinised.

“No aspect of the conduct analysed constitutes a violation,” it said.

“Some aspects do not even fall within the provisions of the Fifa code of ethics, or justify the adoption of any kind of measure, including that of a provisional suspension.”

Earlier in August, in a letter to member associations, Infantino said any meetings were “in no way secret and most certainly not illegal”.

However, the Swiss admitted the criminal investigation had already “caused considerable damage to Fifa as an organisation and to myself as its president”.

Infantino said the meetings with Lauber were broadly to discuss the fact the attorney general’s office was investigating a series of criminal allegations in which Fifa was a damaged party.

Neither Lauber nor Infantino has been able to recollect the specific details of their final meeting in 2017.

Source: BBC