FIFA announced on Sunday that its president, Jani Infantino, will remain in office despite the criminal investigation that the Swiss judiciary has opened against him for "collusion" and "criminal behavior" against the background of his meetings with the resigned Prosecutor Michael Lauber.
"FIFA and its president deny any interference or suggestion that he may have made and led to the conclusion that he tried to influence the prosecutor of the federation," FIFA said in an official statement.
"The FIFA president will continue to carry out his duties completely within the framework of the International Federation and assume its responsibilities. He will continue to extend his cooperation with the authorities in Switzerland and in the world as a whole, as he always did," he added.
On Thursday, the judiciary announced in a statement that Special Prosecutor Stephen Keeler "reached the conclusion that ... there are indications of criminal behavior" surrounding the meetings between Infantino, Lauber and Renaldo Arnold, the childhood friend of President Viva who has become the first prosecutor for the Ho-Valais region.
The statement touched on violations including "the abuse of public office, the breach of official secrecy, assistance to offenders and incitement to such acts."
He added that the federal public prosecutor "opened a criminal investigation against the president of FIFA, Jani Infantino and Reynaldo Arnold, the first public prosecutor in Ho-Vallé" especially because of "abuse of power", "violation of the confidentiality of work", "assisting violators" and "obstructing criminal procedures."