A Special Prosecutor has been appointed by the Public Prosecutor for the Swiss canton of Haut-Valais to investigate links between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Rinaldo Arnold, Senior Prosecutor for Haut-Valais. Reporters working on the Football Leaks project have alleged that Arnold, who is President of FC Brig-Glis, received invitations from Infantino to high profile football events; and Arnold informally collected information for Infantino from the Swiss Attorney General’s Office (OAG).

‘The Senior Prosecutor of the regional office of Haut-Valais has been publicly questioned about his proximity to the President of FIFA, for which he would have received benefits and for whom he would have organised a meeting with the Public Prosecutor’, read a statement (PDF below). ‘The Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided to entrust a special prosecutor with the task of establishing precisely the facts and determining whether or not they would be subject to criminal law’.

‘On the side-lines of the Meeting in Cairo, Egypt for the coordination of the FIFA Football Development Program, we, Presidents of the Africa and Caribbean Zonal associations raise our voice against the actions of a certain European press aimed at denigrating and slandering the President and the administration of FIFA’, read a statement of support for Infantino from the Confederation of African Football (CAF). ‘Faced with this scandalous campaign, we want through this message mark our distance vis-à-vis the abject behaviour and false allegations aiming at discrediting the achievements and positive changes introduced in football by President Gianni Infantino since his ascent to the top of FIFA. We are proud to express our confidence and unwavering support for his clean-up policy of World football. We will fight with the last energy this campaign of malicious denigration campaign.’