FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing renewed pressure to resign following revelations that he received £1.3 million in additional payments from the company established to organise the 2026 World Cup, beyond his publicly reported salary in 2024.
According to financial documents cited by Sky Sports, Infantino received the payment from FWC2026, the company responsible for organising and running this year’s tournament. The payment was not separately disclosed in FIFA’s annual report, raising questions about the organisation’s transparency and its compensation disclosure requirements.
Infantino reported a salary of £3.88 million, equivalent to about 5.1 million dollars, for 2024. However, US tax filings reportedly showed an additional £1.3 million payment, worth approximately 1.76 million dollars, from FWC2026.
Article 43, paragraph 13 of FIFA’s statutes states that the individual compensation of the FIFA president, members of the FIFA Council and the secretary general must be made public.
FIFA has denied failing to disclose financial information or violating its statutes. In a statement, a spokesperson said the organisation did not pay the president a second salary and complied with all reporting requirements relating to compensation.
The spokesperson added that Infantino’s annual compensation and other contractual benefits were determined by an independent compensation sub-committee. FIFA also maintained that its accounts were independently audited and that its declarations complied with tax regulations in Switzerland, the United States and other jurisdictions.
The latest controversy comes as Infantino faces criticism over his leadership and reported efforts to attract private investment into FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup. Those plans were abandoned following widespread opposition.
Infantino is scheduled to meet the other 36 members of the FIFA Council in Zurich on Thursday, in his first meeting with them since the controversy over the proposed private investment arrangements.
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The FIFA president has also faced criticism from several European football leagues, which have called for reforms at the organisation. According to Sky Sports, he has lost the support of UEFA and some football federations in North America and Asia, although he is believed to retain significant backing in Africa and South America.
Despite the growing criticism, Infantino has confirmed plans to seek another term as FIFA president in March 2027. He was first elected in 2016 and subsequently re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
No major challenger has emerged so far. Former Tottenham Hotspur and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega has expressed interest in contesting the election but is considered unlikely to secure the required backing from five member associations to become an official candidate. The deadline for candidates to declare their intention to stand is November 18.
FIFA limits presidents to three terms, but Infantino is eligible to contest again because the organisation does not count his initial three-year term, from 2016 to 2019, towards the limit.
The revelations about the additional payment add to the scrutiny surrounding Infantino’s leadership as he prepares for the next presidential election.
