FIFA president Gianni Infantino is under growing pressure to resign after it was revealed he received £1.3m ($1.76m) in 2024 on top of his salary, a payment that FIFA did not disclose in its annual report.
FIFA has committed to publishing Infantino’s salary, bonus and allowances in its annual report every year since 2016. For 2024, the report listed a salary of £3.88m ($5.1m). US tax filings, first reported by The Times, show he also received the additional £1.3m from FWC2026, the company set up to organise and run this summer’s World Cup.
Article 43, paragraph 13 of FIFA’s statutes states: “The individual compensation of the FIFA president, the members of the council and the FIFA secretary general shall be made public.”
When asked for comment, a FIFA spokesperson said: “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 added: “FIFA strongly rejects any claims that it has failed to disclose any financial information and has violated FIFA’s statutes. FIFA accounts are independently audited, and all declarations are in line with tax regulations in Switzerland, the United States and elsewhere.”
The spokesperson concluded: “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.”
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom received no extra payment from FWC2026. Neither did CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, even though he chaired the FWC2026 board.
Infantino refuses to step down
On Thursday, Infantino will meet the other 36 members of the FIFA Council in Zurich for the first time since he tried to part-privatise FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, behind their backs.
His presidency has become mired in scandal and controversy, and he has lost the support of UEFA and some federations in North America and Asia. He refuses to resign, however, and confirmed he will stand for re-election in March 2027 as planned. He believes he has enough backing to win, especially in Africa and South America.
No challenger with a realistic chance of beating him has emerged so far. Former Tottenham and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega wants to stand, but he is unlikely to secure the backing of the five federations needed to become an official candidate. Candidates have until November 18 to declare their intention to stand.
Infantino was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023. He first won the presidency in 2016, beating four other candidates. FIFA presidents may not serve more than three terms, but Infantino is being allowed to stand again because FIFA argues that his initial three-year term, from 2016 to 2019, does not count toward the three-term limit.