Abdullah719
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Caption This: Gianni Infantino and Vladimir Putin...
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DeadBall
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Infantino - Your boy Trump is finally coming back home.
Putin - I know.
Putin - I know.
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Criminal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino have been launched in Switzerland.
A special prosecutor were appointed this month to investigate dealings between Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber and the head of world football.
Mr Lauber offered to resign last week after a court concluded he covered up a meeting with Mr Infantino and lied to supervisors while his office probed corruption surrounding soccer's governing body.
But the authority overseeing Switzerland's federal prosecutors announced on Thursday that special prosecutor Stefan Keller - who also requested permission to begin proceedings against the attorney general - had found indications of criminal conduct related to the meetings.
Both the accused have previously denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 after beating favourite Sheikh Salman over two rounds of voting in Zurich.
He replaced Sepp Blatter, who was forced to resign from world football's governing body a year earlier over corruption allegations.
Speaking at the time, Mr Infantino told FIFA's congress: "I cannot express my feelings in this moment.
"We will restore the image and the respect of FIFA and everyone in the world will applaud us.
"We are finally going to ensure that we can once again focus on the beautiful game of football."
https://news.sky.com/story/gianni-i...fa-president-launched-in-switzerland-12039148
A special prosecutor were appointed this month to investigate dealings between Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber and the head of world football.
Mr Lauber offered to resign last week after a court concluded he covered up a meeting with Mr Infantino and lied to supervisors while his office probed corruption surrounding soccer's governing body.
But the authority overseeing Switzerland's federal prosecutors announced on Thursday that special prosecutor Stefan Keller - who also requested permission to begin proceedings against the attorney general - had found indications of criminal conduct related to the meetings.
Both the accused have previously denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Infantino became FIFA president in 2016 after beating favourite Sheikh Salman over two rounds of voting in Zurich.
He replaced Sepp Blatter, who was forced to resign from world football's governing body a year earlier over corruption allegations.
Speaking at the time, Mr Infantino told FIFA's congress: "I cannot express my feelings in this moment.
"We will restore the image and the respect of FIFA and everyone in the world will applaud us.
"We are finally going to ensure that we can once again focus on the beautiful game of football."
https://news.sky.com/story/gianni-i...fa-president-launched-in-switzerland-12039148
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BERN (Reuters) - Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called for his successor, Gianni Infantino, to be suspended by the global soccer body after criminal proceedings were opened against Infantino in Switzerland.
Swiss authorities said on Thursday that proceedings had been launched against the current FIFA boss by a special prosecutor looking into meetings he had with Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber. Lauber and Infantino have denied wrongdoing.
"For me, the situation is clear, that the FIFA ethics committee has to open a case against Mr Infantino and so it has to suspend him," Blatter, 84, said in a statement to Reuters.
FIFA did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Blatter's statement.
Blatter, who was FIFA president for 17 years, himself was suspended and later banned by FIFA's ethics committee after he became the subject of criminal proceedings in Switzerland in 2015.
The investigation is still ongoing and Blatter, who has denied wrongdoing, has not been charged. It centred on a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) made in 2011 to then UEFA president Michel Platini with Blatter's approval for work the Frenchman had done a decade earlier.
Blatter was banned for eight years, reduced to six on appeal, and Platini also for eight years, reduced to four. Platini denied wrongdoing.
The FIFA ethics committee is divided into an investigatory and adjudicatory chamber, which since 2017 have been headed by Colombian Maria Claudia Rojas and Greek Vassilios Skouris respectively.
They replaced Swiss Cornel Borbely and German Hans-Joachim Eckert who were ousted when the decision-making FIFA Council decided not to renew their mandates.
https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/sport...r-calls-for-infantino-to-be-suspended-479772/
Swiss authorities said on Thursday that proceedings had been launched against the current FIFA boss by a special prosecutor looking into meetings he had with Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber. Lauber and Infantino have denied wrongdoing.
"For me, the situation is clear, that the FIFA ethics committee has to open a case against Mr Infantino and so it has to suspend him," Blatter, 84, said in a statement to Reuters.
FIFA did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Blatter's statement.
Blatter, who was FIFA president for 17 years, himself was suspended and later banned by FIFA's ethics committee after he became the subject of criminal proceedings in Switzerland in 2015.
The investigation is still ongoing and Blatter, who has denied wrongdoing, has not been charged. It centred on a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) made in 2011 to then UEFA president Michel Platini with Blatter's approval for work the Frenchman had done a decade earlier.
Blatter was banned for eight years, reduced to six on appeal, and Platini also for eight years, reduced to four. Platini denied wrongdoing.
The FIFA ethics committee is divided into an investigatory and adjudicatory chamber, which since 2017 have been headed by Colombian Maria Claudia Rojas and Greek Vassilios Skouris respectively.
They replaced Swiss Cornel Borbely and German Hans-Joachim Eckert who were ousted when the decision-making FIFA Council decided not to renew their mandates.
https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/sport...r-calls-for-infantino-to-be-suspended-479772/
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Fifa deputy secretary general Alasdair Bell says controversy around the head of world football is as an "Alice in Wonderland situation" and a "step backwards" in repairing Fifa's name.
Last week, prosecutors in Switzerland launched legal proceedings against Fifa president Gianni Infantino in relation to an alleged secret meeting with Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber.
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
Infantino has opted not to step down until the matter is dealt with.
"Most people would recognise if you go to meet the attorney general, you would be in pretty safe hands," Bell told BBC Sport. "You wouldn't think you are going to be accused of criminal wrongdoing for having met the attorney general.
"Yet this is the kind of 'Alice in Wonderland' situation we are in today."
Bell said neither Infantino nor Fifa were aware of the source of the complaint that led to the charges being levelled.
However, he did accept it might have come from someone with an axe to grind against the 50-year-old Swiss, who took office in 2016, vowing to clean up an organisation badly tarnished by the allegations levelled against his predecessor Sepp Blatter, who is currently serving an eight-year ban from football.
"Yes, there might be some people who might be interested in that [bringing the Fifa president down]," said Bell. "We don't know who made the complaints. Maybe those people would like to see Gianni Infantino fall."
Lauber offered his resignation last week after a court said he covered up the meetings and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding Fifa.
Special prosecutor Stefan Keller was appointed in June to review criminal complaints against the two men and others.
He found indications of criminal conduct related to their meetings, the authority overseeing the Office of the Attorney General said.
While Bell said he is "100% certain" no criminal charges will arise in this matter, he accepts the reputational damage to Fifa will be significant.
"Of course, this is bad for our reputation as an institution and the personal reputation of the president," said Bell.
Bell believes ridding Fifa of the stigma of corruption "is not something that is going to happen overnight", adding: "To turn the ship around and to establish trust and credibility takes time.
"We are definitely going in the right direction but it is a work in progress. Events like this, the announcement of a criminal investigation, even if it is without any merit whatsoever, is a step backwards."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53634191
Last week, prosecutors in Switzerland launched legal proceedings against Fifa president Gianni Infantino in relation to an alleged secret meeting with Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber.
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
Infantino has opted not to step down until the matter is dealt with.
"Most people would recognise if you go to meet the attorney general, you would be in pretty safe hands," Bell told BBC Sport. "You wouldn't think you are going to be accused of criminal wrongdoing for having met the attorney general.
"Yet this is the kind of 'Alice in Wonderland' situation we are in today."
Bell said neither Infantino nor Fifa were aware of the source of the complaint that led to the charges being levelled.
However, he did accept it might have come from someone with an axe to grind against the 50-year-old Swiss, who took office in 2016, vowing to clean up an organisation badly tarnished by the allegations levelled against his predecessor Sepp Blatter, who is currently serving an eight-year ban from football.
"Yes, there might be some people who might be interested in that [bringing the Fifa president down]," said Bell. "We don't know who made the complaints. Maybe those people would like to see Gianni Infantino fall."
Lauber offered his resignation last week after a court said he covered up the meetings and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding Fifa.
Special prosecutor Stefan Keller was appointed in June to review criminal complaints against the two men and others.
He found indications of criminal conduct related to their meetings, the authority overseeing the Office of the Attorney General said.
While Bell said he is "100% certain" no criminal charges will arise in this matter, he accepts the reputational damage to Fifa will be significant.
"Of course, this is bad for our reputation as an institution and the personal reputation of the president," said Bell.
Bell believes ridding Fifa of the stigma of corruption "is not something that is going to happen overnight", adding: "To turn the ship around and to establish trust and credibility takes time.
"We are definitely going in the right direction but it is a work in progress. Events like this, the announcement of a criminal investigation, even if it is without any merit whatsoever, is a step backwards."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53634191
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