The meetings that can crack Infantino

When the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino hold secret meetings, it is not happening in a dingy back room in a run down inn out in the country.

Oh, no, it is shame on the first class.

At least when it comes to the meetings he has held with the now-suspended swiss attorney general Michael Lauber. Meetings for the Laubers he could end up in an impeachment. Even can Infantino ports in a criminal case along with several others involved.

The close relationship between the prosecution and the Infantino started in the field, he in 2016 became the president of FIFA.

In June 2015, sent Infantino, according to a report from the swiss parliament to his childhood friend Rinaldo Arnold to a meeting with Michael Lauber. The task was to find out whether the state prosecutor had anything on Michel Platini, who at the time was storfavorit to be Sepp Blatter's successor as FIFA president.

FIFA's disputes, however, the contents of the report. In an email to Ekstra Bladet writes a spokesman for the Infantino:

– Mr. Infantino was not asking his friend Rinaldo Arnold or anyone else on that meeting, attorney general Michael Lauber in 2015, and he had no plans or the slightest intention in July 2015 to make up for election as FIFA president.

But now there was something on Platini, and when Infantino was elected president, he held even secret meetings with the state prosecutor Lauber.

Gianni Infantino took the train the 56 minutes from Zurich to Bern. Here he went across the train Station and check at the five-star hotel Schweizerhof, which was taken over and refurbished a few years ago of Qatar velfærdsfond. Two meetings took place at the Schweizerhof.

the Article continues under the picture...

The five-star hotel Schweizerhof in Bern, where Infantino met with Michael Lauber. Photo: Robert Miller/Ritzau Scanpix

The third meeting took place in a restaurant close to the main train station in Zurich. Here it was Lauber who had to take a trip by train. At this meeting was also attended by FIFA's legal director, Marco Villiger.

the Extra Leaf has contacted Villiger, who do not want to comment. He left FIFA after the WORLD cup in Russia in 2018.

The three meetings took place in 2016 and 2017. There is no agenda for the meetings, and there are no records. The assumption in the report from the swiss parliament is that the Infantino used the meetings to ensure that there was no investigation of him.

Among other things, from his time in the UEFA, where the French PSG and Greek Olympiakos avoided being thrown out of the Champions League. PSG because the club was at odds with the rules on Financial fair play. While Olympiakos were involved in several cases of match-fixing.

the Charge against Lauber goes on, that he has put aside all the cases in FIFA. In addition he has lied about the meetings, and he has thwarted the investigation.

the Article continues under the picture...

the Man in the middle. Michael Lauber has the degree to back against the wall. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/Ritzau Scanpix

Ekstra Bladet has asked Gianni Infantino on the purpose of the meetings with the state prosecutor Lauber. The answer we got in writing from a FIFA spokesman said:

the Meetings were not secret. They took place in public places. Da Gianni Infantino was elected FIFA president in 2016, he met with the swiss prosecutor general in order to show his and FIFA's willingness to cooperate in any investigation relating to, what was going on in FIFA, before he even took over the presidency.

It was the aim back in 2016, and it still is. FIFA, which had been previously harmed by criminal acts, regularly holds meetings with prosecutors all over the world. Therefore, it should not be a problem in Switzerland.

– In many other countries, people have been accused and convicted, and also because of FIFA's cooperation under the leadership of Gianni Infantino. Particularly in the UNITED states, where the cooperation with FIFA has led to more than 40 convictions.

There are very gulvviolin in the answer, but when it comes to the lack of agendas and minutes from meetings with the state prosecutor, whereas FIFA just to the prosecutor general's office.

A source who wishes to remain anonymous, and who has worked with FIFA for many years say that Infantino is on the edge with the truth, if the meetings with the Lauber just have been about to show benevolence and kindness.

– It is themes such as administrative people could have done, not Infantino as president. There is little doubt that the meetings between Lauber and Infantino were not for the benefit of the Lauber, but in the first place for Infantino.

– But when Lauber lose the job, there is a high probability that he will be giving his version, and among other things tell about the real content of the meetings, and then we get perhaps the truth to know.

--------- SPLIT ELEMENT ---------

The lost cases

the List of FIFA-cases, as the foot-dragging of the swiss prosecutor's office has managed to lead to the right, is long as a smørrebrødsseddel at Ida Davidsen.

For example, the swiss police for years investigated about Germany bought for the WORLD cup in 2006.

the Case is about a suspicious withdrawal of 70 million dollars, which should have taken place in the period between 2002 and 2005.

the Icon Franz Beckenbauer was then chief of the German WORLD cup committee, and he was finally in april along with four other committee members put in competition in a court of law in Switzerland, Sepp Blatter, incidentally, was called as a witness.

But coronapandemien meant that the trial had to be postponed. And since it was not completed before the end of the month, it decreased for the period of limitation.

the Article continues under the picture...

Beckenbauer, as here, the firing cannon, is the role of principal in a case in which 70 million dollars was moved around, before Germany was awarded the 2006 fifa WORLD cup. Photo. Hannes Magerstaedt//Ritzau Scanpix

And it riles FIFA.

– We are deeply disappointed that the matter has become obsolete. However, we have not given up hope that the case will one day be solved. The 70 million was led through one of FIFA's accounts, and our independent ethics committee will continue to investigate the matter, called it in an email to Ekstra Bladet from Infantinos spokesman.

another case which draws out of the infinite, is about PSG's president Nasser al-Khelaifi, who is accused of having bribed FIFA's secretary general Jerome Valcke in order to secure the lucrative TV rights for several WORLD cup finals. In addition to præsidentjobbet in PSG, al-Khelaifi is also the president of the TV station BeIN Sports in Qatar.

Jerome Valcke was fired from FIFA in 2016 and banned from all football for 10 years. But no one is harming a hair on al-Khelaifis head.

the Article continues under the picture...

Al-Khelaifi, who here presents Neymar, has for several years been under investigation in Switzerland. Photo: JB Autissier/Ritzau Scanpix

A third case was about a contract, Sepp Blatter, in 2005, signed with his then vice-president, Jack Warner from Trinidad Tobago. A nice Blatter sold on FIFA's behalf the tv rights for the Caribbean for the WORLD cup in 2010 and 2014, to Jack Warner for four million dollars. Warner resold the rights to a regional tv-company for 140 million dollars.

Blatter acted against FIFA's interests. The thought police in Switzerland, and traveled in september 2015 a case against him. But in april of this year withdrew the prosecution, without further justification to the case.

When Jack Warner in 2011, was excluded from all football for life, he said that Blatter had sold the tv rights to the Warner, in turn, would gather votes for Blatters re-election as president of FIFA.

It is not the police's good will, that the case against Blatter is abandoned. And it is puzzling in Switzerland, that Blatter has the same attorney as state prosecutor Michael Lauber.

the Article continues under the picture...

Blatter and Platini can still end up together in the court of Switzerland: Photo: Ulmer\ullstein bild via /Ritzau Scanpix

It gets the sources in FIFA, to speculate that Blatter has an interest, that none of the cases from his own time to reach to the court. Which has not happened in the five years, which Lauber had the highest responsibility for the investigation of FIFA.

another case against Blatter is still open. Namely, the affair gave Platini. It is the payment of 13.5 million crowns from the Blatter to Platini in 2011. The case, five years after the secured, to Gianni Infantino became the president of FIFA.

on Friday raised a new prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand, the formal charge against Michel Platini, to have received the many millions.

See also: FIFA's dirty præsidentkrig

See also: In the new jet-scandal

See also: Open fodboldkrig: - time to sound the alarm

See also: Secret trial: Manchester City can lose big