An email obtained by Josimar shows that Maria Claudia Rojas, the newly appointed chair of the ethics committee’s investigatory chamber, was lying when she claimed that Gianni Infantino was not under investigation. The FIFA president was in fact investigated for two serious violations when he fired those in charge of the investigation.
By Pål Ødegård (paalpot75@protonmail.com) and Håvard Melnæs (lucatoni@protonmail.com)
At the congress in Bahrain in May, FIFA president Gianni Infantino single-handedly got rid of Miguel Maduro, the chair of the governance committee, and both Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbely, the chairs of the two chambers of the ethics committee.
At a sports law conference this week, Miguel Maduro said: “What happened in Bahrain [was] equivalent to having all heads of independent authorities in a state removed at once.”
This move by Infantino starkly contrasts what he promised when elected new FIFA president on the 26th of February 2016.
The day before the election in Zurich, Infantino sent a letter to all the 209 presidents of the national associations.
“I think we all understand that this Congress is a crossroads moment for FIFA as the world governing body of the world’s number one sport. The decisions taken on Friday will shape football for generations to come and your association has the opportunity to vote to help create a new path based on renewal, prosperity and trust [...]
“The reform proposals and the election of FIFA’s next President are defining moments for the sport we all love. It is now or never for FIFA to embrace change and to bring football back to the heart of FIFA [...]
“I am a person who keeps his promises, someone with genuine core values and with a prove...
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