After so many years of corruption accusations under Sepp Blatter’s watch, the last thing FIFA need is a criminal investigation into the man who took over from him, Gianni Infantino.
Unfortunately for the world governing body, that’s exactly what’s going to happen, but Infantino has insisted that he will stay in his current position until the matter has been fully dealt with.
BBC Sport report that the investigation comes as a result of a secret meeting between Infantino and Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber, but the inference as to what the meeting was about has left Fifa deputy secretary general, Alasdair Bell, fuming.
“Most people would recognise if you go to meet the attorney general, you would be in pretty safe hands,” he said to 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 did accede to the notion that someone with an axe to grind against Infantino or the organisation itself may be behind the attempt to undermine him.
“Yes, there might be some people who might be interested in that [bringing the Fifa president down],” he added.
“We don’t know who made the complaints. Maybe those people would like to see Gianni Infantino fall.”
Clearly, if it’s believed that there has been any wrongdoing, then the matter must be investigated as a matter of urgency.
If evidence of the same is exposed, then Infantino will have a hard time justifying why he is still in the position.