FIFA President Gianni Infantino Under Fire Over £1.3m Undisclosed World Cup Payment

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is currently facing intense scrutiny following revelations that he reportedly received an additional £1.3 million in 2024 from FWC2026, the entity established to oversee the organization of this year’s World Cup.

Since 2016, FIFA has consistently pledged to disclose its president’s salary, bonuses, and allowances within its annual report. While Infantino's reported salary for 2024 stood at £3.88 million ($5.1 million), US tax filings suggest an extra £1.3 million ($1.76 million) originating from FWC2026, a sum that FIFA’s public annual report did not include.

This alleged lack of transparency directly conflicts with FIFA’s own statutes, specifically Article 43, paragraph 13, which stipulates that “The individual compensation of the FIFA president, the members of the council and the FIFA secretary general shall be made public.” The Times newspaper initially brought this undisclosed payment to public attention.

Consequently, questions have emerged regarding FIFA’s commitment to financial transparency and its compliance with its internal regulations concerning the disclosure of its president’s earnings.

In response to these allegations, a spokesperson for FIFA denied that Infantino was receiving a secondary salary from the organization. The spokesperson asserted that FIFA's compensation arrangements fully adhered to all required disclosure standards. They stated, “FIFA does not pay a second salary to the FIFA president and complies with all reporting requirements in relation to compensation. The FIFA president’s annual compensation, as well as other contractual benefits, are decided by the independent compensation sub-committee.”

The spokesperson further added, “FIFA is fully focused on the FIFA Council meeting on Thursday and looks forward to discussions with its members to further grow the game following the most successful FIFA World Cup in history.” It was also noted in the report that FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom did not receive any additional payments from FWC2026.