“There was and is absolutely no reason to open any investigation because nothing remotely criminal has happened and there is nothing at all to suggest any form of criminal wrongdoing,” said FIFA in a statement on Sunday.

It said that the meetings were not secret and took place in public places, such as hotels and restaurants, chosen by the Swiss Attorney-General’s office.

“FIFA and the FIFA President categorically deny any implication or suggestion that the FIFA President would ever have attempted to exert any form of improper influence on the Swiss Federal Prosecutor,” it added.

FIFA said special prosecutor Stefan Keller, who opened the proceedings, has “presented no serious elements or legal basis for the opening of any investigation and lacks any detail as to the substance of the case.”

It added: “The FIFA President will continue to fully assume his functions within FIFA and fulfil his duties and will continue to cooperate with the authorities in Switzerland and around the world.”(Reuters/NAN)