FIFA Defends Itself After Financial Fair Play Scandal
Following accusations against football’s governing bodies over showing Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain preferential treatment in their fight against Financial Fair Play, FIFA have hit back with a lengthy and indignant statement.
A report unveiled by Football Leaks claimed that they were to receive lesser punishments for violating FFP rules.
However, FIFA have angrily hit back at that assertion with a long statement, which we have published in full, in which it is claimed that it is merely an attempt to undermine president Gianni Infantino.
“We have become aware of various articles published about FIFA,” the report began.
“Four weeks ago, a group of journalists sent several hundred questions to FIFA, based on private and internal e-mails and other information which had been accessed (illegally) by third parties.
“Despite the fact that we answered the questions posed to us in a straightforward and honest manner, certain media decided to ignore most of our answers.
“They wanted to distort both the facts and the truth in a deliberate attempt to discredit FIFA and to mislead their readers. This is evident.
“It seems obvious from the ‘reporting’ carried out in some media outlets that there is only one particular aim, which is an attempt to undermine the new leadership of FIFA and, in particular, president Gianni Infantino and the secretary general Fatma Samoura.
“Since the new leadership of FIFA took office there have been changes. There had to be and we are very proud of them.
“As is widely known, FIFA was in a desperate situation in 2015, as it sought to recover from decades of neglect and mismanagement.
“It is a fact that many former FIFA officials are currently facing criminal proceedings in Switzerland and abroad and, of course, many other FIFA officials who were part of, or supported, this discredited regime for many years are also no longer at FIFA.
“Consequently, it is more than obvious that changes had to be made at all levels in order to give FIFA a fresh start.”
