FIFA has condemned "a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine" the world game's governing body and its president, Gianni Infantino, as the controversy over his now-shelved private investment plan rumbles on.
Infantino has faced calls to resign and was also subject to allegations from a British newspaper on Friday that he paid off a lover while at European governing body UEFA.
"Recent reporting has included unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims concerning FIFA and its President," said the FIFA statement.
Infantino served as secretary general of European football's governing body from 2009 to 2016.
According to The Telegraph newspaper, the Italian-Swiss lawyer previously used his influence to secure a promotion for a UEFA employee with whom he was in an intimate relationship.
The newspaper added — without revealing its sources — that the same employee received "a six-figure sum" upon her departure in addition to the payment of tuition fees for a business school amounting to around $60,000
Growing pressure
FIFA said it "welcomes legitimate scrutiny" but would challenge inaccurate or misleading reporting "directly and vigorously".
"Scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress," it said.
Infantino, who is standing for re-election next March, has faced mounting pressure since announcing his controversial and ultimately abandoned plan to open up the World Cup to private investors.
UEFA on Thursday stood by its threat to boycott the World Cups, saying the withdrawal of the plan was insufficient.
FIFA said it "will not support, facilitate or tolerate" any process concerning its presidential election that is inconsistent with its statutes and democratic procedures.
"Those who do not have the support of FIFA's Member Associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA's established democratic processes," it added.
