FIFA President Gianni Infantino "has been cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation into his expenses, recruitment and alleged sacking of whistleblowers," according to the BBC. Infantino "took charge of football's world governing body in February." FIFA's ethics committee found no "conflicts of interest" and no breaches of the organization's ethics code. The ethics committee said, "The benefits enjoyed by Mr Infantino were not considered improper." Infantino said he was pleased with the decision, adding he "would like to thank all those who cooperated with the ethics committee to ensure that the facts were heard and the truth prevailed." BBC Sport correspondent Richard Conway said, "Supporters of Gianni Infantino spoke throughout this investigation of his confidence over being cleared. He has no case to answer but the Swiss Italian has been damaged by the process" (BBC, 8/5). REUTERS reported German media have been reporting for several weeks that Infantino, whose predecessor, Sepp Blatter, has been banned for six years for ethics violations, "was under investigation over flights he had taken on private jets." The ethics committee said that "preliminary investigations had focused on several flights taken by Infantino," the hiring process for positions in the president’s office and his refusal to sign the contract specifying his employment relationship with FIFA. The ethics committee said that Infantino’s conduct "might have breached articles on code of conduct, loyalty, conflicts of interest and offering and accepting gifts" (REUTERS, 8/5).
