Fifa president Gianni Infantino cleared of ethics violations after investigation

Gianni Infantino, the president of world football governing body Fifa, has been cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent ethics committee.

A formal investigation was launched to look at a series of flights taken by Infantino in the opening months of his presidency.

The Swiss-Italian was elected in February as former leader Sepp Blatter stepped down following a long series of corruption scandals within the organisation.

Infantino promised to "restore the image and respect of Fifa" as he took office. He denied having any involvement in any wrongdoing, and welcomed the statement by the ethics committee.

A statement which was released on behalf of the Fifa president read, "Fifa president Gianni Infantino is pleased that, following a thorough review, the investigatory chamber of the independent ethics committee has determined that no violation of the Fifa code of ethics (FCE) has been committed."

"The president would like to thank all those who cooperated with the ethics committee to ensure that the facts were heard and the truth prevailed," it added.

A plethora of indictments of Fifa officials in the US last year rocked the organisation, as several members of its executive committee were arrested for various corruption charges.

Blatter, along with European body Uefa's president Michel Platini, was banned by the ethics committee following an investigation at the end of last year.

Infantino said that he wanted to get rid of the scandals that have enveloped the game's organisational bodies.

"Tangible progress has been made in key areas such as ensuring that those who have acted against the interests of football are identified and held to account, improving Fifa's governance and repairing its reputation, and restoring trust with its stakeholders. This critical work will continue."