FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing renewed calls to quit after financial filings revealed he received an undisclosed payment of $1.72 million in 2024 from the organisation that ran the World Cup, on top of his declared FIFA salary, in a story first broken by The Times this week.
What the filings show
FIFA president Gianni Infantino appears to have breached FIFA regulations after an IRS filing revealed an undisclosed $1.72 million pay package on top of his declared salary for 2024. According to the IRS Form 990, Infantino received $1.72 million in 2024 from FWC2026, the official U.S.-based entity set up by FIFA to manage and operate the 2026 World Cup.
This compensation was on top of Infantino's regular salary and benefits from FIFA for 2024, which, according to FIFA's financial reports for that year, amounted to 4.274 million CHF, or around $4.86 million. The additional compensation wasn't disclosed in FIFA's 2024 annual report, which is the last year for which FWC2026's Form 990 is publicly available.
Why it matters under FIFA's own rules
Article 43, paragraph 13 of FIFA's statutes states that the Compensation Sub-Committee determines the pay of the president, and that the individual compensation of the FIFA President, Council members and the Secretary General shall be made public. Campaigners for governance reform argue the omission of the FWC2026 payment from FIFA's published accounts sits uneasily with that requirement.
Miguel Maduro, the former chairman of FIFA's governance committee, was blunt in his assessment. "It is a clear contravention of the rules if he is paid other amounts by companies related to FIFA and it is not made public," he told The Times. A source familiar with the accounts also claimed Infantino received similar sums, or potentially more, in 2025 and 2026.
How FIFA has responded
FIFA has firmly rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing. A FIFA spokesperson told ESPN, "FIFA fully complies with all reporting requirements and strongly rejects any suggestion there has been a violation of FIFA's Statutes."
A separate FIFA statement read, "FIFA does not pay a second salary to the FIFA President and complies with all reporting requirements in relation to compensation." The governing body insisted its compensation sub-committee determines the president's salary and contractual benefits, and that it reported payments relating to pension contributions, social charges and other employment benefits to US authorities.
A Council meeting under pressure
The revelations landed just days before FIFA's ruling body gathered in Zurich. FIFA Council members vowed to give Infantino a tough grilling about his alleged failure to properly declare the payment, with footballing power brokers meeting after the governing body "strongly" denied wrongdoing.
An English voice in the row
The affair has a notable domestic angle for English football. Debbie Hewitt, the FA chairwoman and a FIFA vice-president, was expected to speak up after writing to Infantino to demand he release all documents relating to both his abandoned World Cup sell-off plan and a separate disciplinary case.
Part of a longer pattern
It is the latest controversy surrounding Infantino, 56, who has been in office since 2016; earlier this year he came under fire for a since-aborted plan to sell a 20 per cent stake in the World Cup to private investors. That episode already strained his relationship with UEFA and several national associations, echoing the kind of governance disputes that have also touched English football, from the ongoing whistleblower row involving Manchester City to the boardroom turmoil at the Etihad.
What comes next for Infantino
Despite the mounting criticism, Infantino shows no sign of stepping aside. His presidency has become mired in scandal and controversy, but he is refusing to resign despite losing the support of UEFA and some federations in North America and Asia, believing he has enough backing to be re-elected in March next year, especially in Africa and South America.
No challenger with a realistic chance of beating him has emerged so far, with former Tottenham and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega unlikely to secure the five federation nominations he needs to stand officially. Candidates have until November 18 to declare their intention to run.
The presidential vote is scheduled for the FIFA Congress in Morocco next March, and this latest payment row adds another layer of scrutiny to a presidency already under historic pressure from inside and outside the game.