(ATR) The chair of the investigatory chamber of FIFA’s independent ethics committee says there is no evidence president Gianni Infantino violated the federation’s code of conduct.
A Swiss federal prosecutor was assigned last month to look into complaints made against Infantino and Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber following indications of criminal conduct related to their meetings. Among the accusations are abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders, and incitement to these acts.
Both men deny any wrongdoing though Lauber quit his position in late July. He leaves office on August 31. Infantino has said the meetings were "perfectly legitimate", "perfectly legal," and "part of the fiduciary duties of the President of FIFA".
In a statement on Wednesday, FIFA said the federation’s ethics committee on June 21 had received a complaint against Infantino on the matter.
Following an examination of "the relevant documentation and evidence" in the case, the chair of the investigatory chamber decided to close the case.
"Based on the information available to date, no aspect of the conduct analyzed constitutes a violation of the FIFA regulations – 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," the statement read.
Infantino was elected in February 2016 to replace the disgraced Sepp Blatter, who led world soccer’s governing body from 1998 to 2015 before becoming embroiled in one of several high-profile corruption cases involving dozens of high-ranking soccer officials. Blatter is serving a six-year ban from the sport.
The decision by FIFA not to pursue the case means the International Olympic Committee is very unlikely to open an ethics investigation of its own against Infantino, though that could change if Swiss authorities charge him with a crime.
Infantino became an IOC member in January. His status with the IOC is tied to his position as the head of an International Federation.
Written by Gerard Farek
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