FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused of receiving undisclosed payment of £1.3m from World Cup company

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino is facing renewed scrutiny after it was revealed he received an additional £1.3 million in 2024 from the company established to organise this year’s World Cup.

FIFA has committed to publishing Infantino’s salary, bonus and allowances in its annual report every year since 2016.

For 2024, he reported £3.88m ($5.1m) in salary, but US tax filings show he also received £1.3m ($1.76m) from FWC2026, the company set up to organise and run this summer’s World Cup, which was not publicly disclosed by FIFA in the annual report.

Article 43, paragraph 13 of FIFA’s statutes reads: “The individual compensation of the FIFA president, the members of the council and the FIFA secretary general shall be made public.”

According to a report by The Times, the payment from FWC2026 was not disclosed in FIFA’s annual report, despite the organisation’s commitment to publishing the president’s salary, bonuses and allowances annually since 2016.

The disclosure has raised questions about FIFA’s financial transparency and compliance with its own statutes, which require the publication of the president’s compensation.

Responding to the report,  a FIFA spokesperson denied that Infantino received a second salary from the organisation and insisted that its compensation arrangements complied with disclosure requirements.

“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 said.

“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.”

The report also indicated that FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom did not receive an additional payment from FWC2026.