FIFA Deputy Secretary General Alasdair Bell assured on Monday in a telematic press conference that neither the organization nor its president, Gianni Infantino, have “nothing to hide” as a result of the criminal investigation opened by the extraordinary federal prosecutor of Switzerland, Stefan Keller, last July 30.
This investigation is related to a meeting that Gianni Infantino had with the former attorney general, Michael Lauber, and for which Stefan Keller believes that various crimes could have been committed, including abuse of power, violation of secrecy to which public officials are required, assistance to offenders and incitement to such acts.
Alasdair Bell stressed on Monday that neither FIFA nor Infantino “have nothing to hide” and showed his predisposition to be “as transparent as possible and that the truth come to light.”
“I want to make it clear that there is no factual basis for this criminal investigation. There is no description of criminal behavior of any kind.unless meeting with the attorney general has become a crime in Switzerland, “he said ironically.
The deputy secretary general of FIFA assured that Infantino does not know what he has done wrongSince meetings are part of their job.
“We are one hundred percent certain that there has been no criminal behavior nor will there be a criminal conviction against the FIFA president,” Bell said.
Alasdair Bell acknowledged that this criminal investigation “has harmed FIFA and the President of FIFA”, promised to cooperate “one hundred percent with the investigation” and hoped that “the truth will come to light and that it will come out quickly”.
“There is nothing, zero, from a legal perspective that condemns us,” he said.
The deputy secretary general of FIFA also recalled that the investigation was based on an anonymous complaint.
“If someone opens a criminal investigation, there should be a good reason for it. and the truth is that there is no reason for it. There are anonymous complaints. We do not know who has made those complaints. It is the genesis of the investigation, I imagine. The people who made the complaints might want to see Infantino fall, “he said.
“In this situation, we see an absurd component and trying to draw parallels with Blatter and it has nothing to do with it. We would like the prosecutor to tell us what that criminal behavior is,” he said.
“There is nothing serious to investigate, nothing that has been reported to us and that indicates misconduct or wrongdoing. We are concerned about damage to the reputation of these people and organization. It is an unfair situation, we have to accept it, live with it and cooperate with the investigation one hundred percent. We will do what we can to ensure that all the information will come to light, “he reiterated.
Bell also stated that the Ethics Commission, independent of FIFA, could carry out its own investigation and in this regard noted that “Infantino would accept any decision.”
The deputy secretary general of FIFA explained that Infantino's meetings with the previous prosecutor took place to explain “that the organization was opening a new stage, with new principles of governance.”
“No specific cases were debated but rather it was a sample of predisposition to collaborate and establish a relationship of trust to collaborate with the law,” he said.
“FIFA had a horrible history before the arrival of Infantino. Justice had to be shown that it is now a different organizatione and that cannot be changed with a punctual meeting but depends on creating a lasting relationship of trust. There were 20 cases open, from an earlier stage, “he recalled.
Swiss Federal Prosecutor Stefan Keller opened a criminal investigation against FIFA President Giani Infantino last Thursday, July 30, in connection with a meeting he held with the previous attorney general, who was investigating a plot of corruption in football and resigned last Friday.
Former prosecutor general Michael Lauber had launched an extensive investigation into football corruption, which involved FIFA, which has its headquarters in the Swiss city of Zurich.
Keller believes that various crimes could have been committed, including abuse of power, violation of the secrecy to which public officials are bound, assistance to offenders and incitement to such acts.
Lauber and Infantino met in mid-2017 in Bern, but both later said they did not recall that conversation.
A federal court last Friday upheld a false accusation against Lauber, who shortly after announced his resignation.
Keller also asked Parliament on Thursday to lift Lauber's immunity to investigate him in the same way as the rest of those involved.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini are also part of the investigations into football corruption that started in 2014.
The entity that oversees the Swiss Attorney General's Office recalled that the presumption of innocence applies in all cases.