Fifa president Gianni Infantino is hoping that the facts surrounding a criminal investigation instituted against him will emerge.
The investigation was following anonymous complaints about his meeting with Switzerland’s Attorney General, Michael Lauber. Prosecutors in Switzerland began the investigation last week. Both men had denied any wrongdoing.
Infantino, in a letter to the football governing body’s member associations, said any meetings were not secret and not illegal as well.
Gianni infantino says considerable damage has been done to Fifa over the investiagtion
While admitting that the investigation had already caused considerable damage to Fifa as an organization and to himself as the president, Infantino is not planning to step down from his role while the matter is dealt with.
“Some anonymous complaints were filed against me in the canton of Bern.
“Not knowing the content of those anonymous complaints, we can only speculate as to why they were filed and who is behind them. Hopefully, the facts will emerge one day,” part of letter reads.
Infantino further stated that the meetings with Lauber were to discuss broadly since the attorney general’s office was investigating a series of criminal allegations in which Fifa was a damaged party.
“I obviously also remain at your disposal for any clarification or further information that you might need, as this is also about our organisation, your organisation, the one that we all represent and must defend.”
Infantino, who also revealed that he had received messages of support since the investigation was announced, said meeting a state prosecutor ought to be the best guarantee that such a meeting is legitimate.
“If there were even the slightest suggestion of any wrongdoing, a prosecutor would and should intervene immediately to prevent it, as part of his or her basic legal and professional responsibility.”
The interesting part of the situation is that neither Lauber nor Infantino have been able to recollect the specific details of their final meeting in 2017.
Such situation was described as extraordinary by Fifa deputy secretary general Alasdair Bell ealier this week.
“It seems to me extraordinary that because someone doesn’t remember the details of the meeting it’s part of some criminal conspiracy involving the attorney general of Switzerland,” he alleged.
It was gathered that the case is involving some wrongdoing in the organisation since 2014.
Infantino had promised to give the investigators full cooperation, since the investigation nis still concerning some past wrongdoings in Fifa.
Lauber on the other hand, could be in trouble if he is found to have lied about his meeting with Infantino, which he initially denied.
