Extensive investigations: Infantino faces the threat of a summons before Congress

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US investigations into the relationship between Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football "FIFA", and US President Donald Trump are entering a far more serious phase. Infantino now faces the threat of being summoned to testify before Congress in the coming weeks, as one of his most prominent critics in the United States widens the scope of his inquiry.

British newspaper "The Telegraph" revealed, citing senior FIFA officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, that Infantino could receive legal demands to give evidence as early as next January.

The Democratic Party's sweeping victory in last week's midterm elections handed it control of the US House of Representatives, and that carries huge implications for Infantino. He now faces the prospect of being forced to hand over documents and evidence that could prove embarrassing, all while he campaigns to keep his job as FIFA president in the elections set for next March.

The House's powerful Judiciary Committee began investigating Infantino's ties to Trump back in July. Multiple sources who spoke to "The Telegraph" confirmed that Jamie Raskin, the committee's most prominent Democratic member, is now studying a string of controversial episodes that have surfaced recently.

Documents relating to last week's disclosure in the newspaper top the committee's list of demands. That report concerned Infantino asking Carlos Cordeiro, his chief go-between with Trump, to help secure a work permit for an immigrant maid employed at his luxury home in Miami. FIFA denies any wrongdoing on this matter.

Scrutiny of the incident, Infantino's critics argue, has become necessary to establish whether any laws were broken, specifically over the alleged misuse of a non-profit foundation's funds or the organisation's assets.

Tax authorities were also alerted after documents suggested the maid featured on FIFA's payroll in the Americas.

FIFA insists Infantino covered the maid's expenses himself, stating: "Matters relating to the FIFA president's personal and domestic life are private, but to avoid any doubt, the FIFA president personally bears the costs of any domestic staff."

The federation added that it "strongly" rejects "any insinuations of wrongdoing" over the maid's working conditions. "The Telegraph" knows her identity.

Already, Infantino was under intense scrutiny over his relationship with the US President and those around him. He held secret talks to sell a share of World Cup rights to a company owned by the brother of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.

Summoning the Kushner family to testify next January is a "strong possibility", one source indicated, though Trump himself is not expected to be called at this stage.

Victory in last week's elections hands Jamie Raskin the chance to take over as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee next January. The role will give him fresh powers to summon the FIFA president and force him to surrender the requested documents.

Raskin opened the investigation into Infantino last July, driven by concerns over the financial ties between FIFA and the US President and his allies.

So far, he has not received all the documents he asked for, among them FIFA's records of its communications with Trump, his administration and the Trump Organization, the US President's family firm.

Then the most prominent representative of the Democratic minority on the committee, Raskin sent Infantino a letter on 26 July informing him that an investigation had begun into what he called an "ongoing campaign" by FIFA to court Trump's favour.

Last September, committee members accused Infantino of failing to cooperate as required and branded his response "regrettably insufficient". But without a formal summons at that stage, ignoring Raskin's request carried no criminal consequences.

Infantino's relationship with Trump took centre stage during the build-up to this summer's World Cup, especially after the FIFA president handed his American counterpart the first edition of the FIFA Peace Prize.

A source within the House Judiciary Committee told "The Telegraph" on Tuesday that no final decision had been taken, but "all investigations remain on the table" when it comes to FIFA and Infantino.

The source said: "We still have serious questions about FIFA's practices and its payments relating to the World Cup, and we have not received sufficient information from the federation. All investigative options are firmly on the table, although no decisions have been taken so far."

These renewed threats of a parliamentary investigation land just days after Emilio García Silvero, FIFA's chief legal officer, resigned following eight years under Infantino's leadership.

García Silvero oversaw disciplinary cases at tournaments, transfer market regulations and contractual disputes worldwide, which makes him one of the people Raskin is likely to want statements from during the investigation.

FIFA, in turn, said in a statement: "The International Federation of Association Football has held productive discussions with members of the committee, and still continues these discussions. We have not received any indication that they are dissatisfied with our proactive cooperation, and we look forward to answering any further questions they may have."