He also accused departed FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee chair Domenico Scala of “playground behaviour”.

Infantino launched a stinging attack on Scala in a wide-ranging interview published in French-speaking Le Matin and German-speaking Sonntagszeitung, where he also claimed his salary would be less than CHF 2 million (£1.4 million/$2.05 million/€1.8 million).

The Swiss was responding to accusations in German newspaper Die Welt last week, alleging he was facing the prospect of a 90-day Ethics Committee ban for ordering the deletion of a recording of a Council meeting on the morning of FIFA’s Congress in Mexico City last month.

Although world football’s governing body issued a firm denial concerning the claims, insisting a copy was deleted and that the original had been stored in their files, the reports put another dent in the former UEFA general secretary’s term as President so far.

At the meeting in the Mexican capital, it was claimed Infantino attempted to get the Council, the rebranded Executive Committee, to agree to the sacking of Scala, who had been a key cog in the reform process aimed at restoring the reputation of the scandal-hit organisation.

Following the reluctance to go along with the Swiss’ scheme, Infantino reportedly went about finding a way to remove Scala from his position.

He then proposed at the Congress in Mexico City that the Council be given the power to remove heads of its Independent Committees without putting it to a vote of the 211 Member Associations.

Following the passing of the motion, Scala stormed out of the Congress Hall, furious at the decision that had just been taken, and resigned the next day.

The Swiss-Italian released a strongly-worded statement following his departure, which claimed Infantino’s ploy had “deprived the [FIFA} Committees of their independence”.

FIFA dismissed allegations that Infantino orchestrated a “plot” to remove Scala, calling the accusations "ridiculous".

Infantino also claimed he "reserves the right to make a complaint about the theft of sensitive data" following the apparent leak of the Council meeting minutes.

“Let me start by saying that, in terms of the way he [Scala] has gone about things, I feel like the victim of a witch-hunt,” the FIFA President said.

“He was clearly rather proud of his dramatic stunt, as well as of the fact that he repeated to every journalist that he’d travelled in business class when I was in first.

“This is childish stuff that belongs in the playground.”

Infantino also alleged his “enemies” are behind reports he dismissed a salary offer of CHF2 million as “insulting”.

“My contract is being negotiated and this is not the place to unveil the outlines,” he added.

“However, once signed, I will show you with pleasure all the details and you will see that it will be less than the two million that the media has mentioned.

“My enemies want to make me look greedy.

“I have not stolen anything.”

The pressure on Infantino was relieved slighlty on Friday (June 3) when FIFA's lawyers Quinn Emanuel released information which revealed former President Sepp Blatter, as well as ex-secretary general Jérôme Valcke and Markus Kattner, sacked from his acting secretary general role on May 23, had awarded themselves $80 million (£55 million/€71 million) in bonus payments and contract extensions over a five-year period.

It followed news that FIFA's Zurich headquarters had been raided by Swiss authorities in connection with their ongoing corruption investigation.