October 13: FIFA president Gianni Infantino received a “second salary” linked to the World Cup that the world game’s supreme assailant did not disclose.
The Times first reported and according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990, Infantino received $1.72 million in 2024 from FWC2026, the US-based official entity that managed and operated the 2026 World Cup. Another payment of $4.2 million is listed alongside the document and matches the figure in FIFA’s accounts for Infantino’s salary. Those accounts, from 2024, did not disclose a “second salary” of $1.72 million.
Article 43 of the FIFA Statutes states that: “The Compensation Sub-Committee shall, in particular, define the compensation rules and determine the remuneration of the FIFA President, Council members and FIFA Secretary General. The individual compensation of the FIFA President, Council members and FIFA Secretary General shall be made public.”
FIFA referred the subcommittee to defend the undisclosed payment.
FIFA’s compensation subcommittee is chaired by Swiss banker Bruno Chiomento. India’s Mukul Mudgal and Spain’s Antonio Moya-Angeler complete the three-man sub-committee, which is part of FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC). Chiomento also chairs the GACC, which is one of FIFA’s four “independent” committees.
Miguel Maduro, the former chairman of FIFA’s governing committee, told The Times that not making Infantino’s extra salary public could be a violation of the world federation’s rules, explaining that “it is a clear violation of the rules if other amounts are paid to him by FIFA-related companies and not made public. FIFA’s statutes impose the obligation of full transparency.” I agree that the president of FIFA should be very well paid, but this should be transparent.”
Sources told the Times that Infantino used the money to fuel his lavish lifestyle in Miami after he moved from Doha. The UK paper identified the ultra-exclusive Sunset Islands, a gated community of four, as Infantino’s Miami home. However, the Fifa president’s tax address remains in Zug, a tax haven in Switzerland.
The latest revelations will increase pressure on Infantino, who remains under pressure after abandoning plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private equity and Joshua Kushner. This week, Infantino will face the FIFA Council for the first time since the World Cup. FIFA Forward Enterprise, governance and the FIFA Peace Prize are on the agenda.
Last December, Infantino awarded the first FIFA Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, his relationship with the American head of state reaching a crescendo. On Tuesday, the New York Times and Le Monde revealed that FIFA is paying $4 million in rent for its Trump Tower office over a seven-year period. The global governing body defended it as conforming to the market. The office is mostly inactive.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at (email protected)
