Affair play
Fifa , Issue 1682 A SURPRISING hero emerged from the account of Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s alleged payoff of his lover when he was general secretary of Uefa, European football’s governing body.

The Telegraph reported that Michel Platini, the former president of Uefa, challenged his then No 2 over the affair, leading to the unnamed employee’s departure.

She left with a payout of more than £150,000 which included tuition fees for an MBA at a business school, the paper reported. Infantino strongly denies the allegations.

Suited and booted
The depiction of Platini as the adult in the room is convenient timing for the Frenchman, who is fighting to restore his own reputation after a long-running feud with Infantino. Three days before the World Cup, Platini’s lawyers launched proceedings in France against Infantino and two former Fifa officials over a scandal that ended his hitherto high hopes of leading Fifa.

A criminal complaint filed in Paris accused Infantino and the former officials of malicious prosecution and influence peddling.

In a separate civil lawsuit against Fifa, Platini is seeking compensation over what he says were internal moves by the organisation designed to derail his campaign for the presidency. The case stems from late 2015, when details emerged of a payment of £1.35m made to Platini by Fifa. The payment had been authorised in 2011 by then president Sepp Blatter.

Both men were banned from football by Fifa’s “ethics committee” for a dereliction of duty and conflict of interest following a corruption investigation. The ban cleared the path for Infantino, then Uefa general secretary under Platini, to succeed Blatter as Fifa president in early 2016.

Platini’s legal action in France follows his and Blatter’s acquittal by a Swiss criminal appeals court last year on charges of defrauding Fifa in relation to the 2011 payment. Fifa has previously denied any wrongdoing in its handling of the 2015 case.

Despite fierce opposition following a disastrous attempt to flog shares in the World Cup to private investors, Infantino still intends to stand for re-election as Fifa president in March 2027. Just don’t expect an endorsement from his old boss.