FIFA president Gianni Infantino cleared of possible ethics violations

FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino talks during the Extraordinary FIFA Congress at Hallenstadion on February 26, 2016
© Getty Images
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is cleared of possible ethics violations.

An investigation into possible breaches of ethics by FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been dropped by the governing body's ethics committee.

It has been alleged that Infantino, who was elected as Sepp Blatter's successor in February, took flights from the governments of World Cup hosts Russia and Qatar.

The investigation also looked into the hiring of Infantino's senior advisers and his refusal to sign a working contract.

A statement from the ethics committee confirmed that it had found that "no violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE) had been committed by Mr Infantino".

The committee specifically focused on general rules of conflict, loyalty, conflicts of interest and offering and accepting gifts.

In the lengthy statement, the ruling said: "During the formal investigation proceedings, led by Vanessa Allard - member of the investigatory chamber - the materials related to the prima facie cases identified during the preliminary investigations were assessed.

"After examining all relevant evidence thoroughly, Ms Allard concluded that the occurrences related to the flights taken by Mr Infantino did not represent FCE violations. In particular, no relevant situations involving conflicts of interest related to Mr Infantino's position as FIFA President were identified, and the benefits enjoyed by Mr Infantino were not considered improper in the light of applicable FIFA rules and regulations.

"Moreover, Ms Allard found that the human resources matters, as well as Mr. Infantino's conduct with regard to his contract with FIFA, if at all, constituted internal compliance issues rather than an ethical matter. As such, the final report prepared by Ms Allard concluded that no ethical breaches had been committed by Mr Infantino."

Before taking on the FIFA role, Infantino worked as UEFA general secretary.

Sepp Blatter delivers a speech ahead of the FIFA presidency vote on May 29, 2015
Read Next:
FIFA requests Blatter, Platini sanctions
>

CountryGoldGSilverSBronzeBTotal
1 United StatesUnited States97925
2 ChinaChina93618
3 HungaryHungary4116
11 Great BritainGreat Britain1326
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal00000000
2Bournemouth00000000
3Burnley00000000
4Chelsea00000000
5Crystal Palace00000000
6Everton00000000
7Hull City00000000
8Leicester CityLeicester00000000
9Liverpool00000000
10Manchester CityMan City00000000
11Manchester UnitedMan Utd00000000
12Middlesbrough00000000
13Southampton00000000
14Stoke CityStoke00000000
15Sunderland00000000
16Swansea CitySwansea00000000
17Tottenham HotspurSpurs00000000
18Watford00000000
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom00000000
20West Ham UnitedWest Ham00000000