Pressure mounts on Gianni Infantino as FIFA president’s ‘second salary’ revealed

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COMMENTSThe FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing yet more scrutiny after it was revealed he received £1.3million in 2024 on top of his salary.

FIFA, the world football governing body, has already committed to publishing the details of Infantino’s salary and his bonus within its annual report every year since 2016, the year he became its president.

He had already been expected to face criticism when he on Thursday meets with the other 36 members of the FIFA Council in Zurich for the first time since his failed attempts to sell off stakes in FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, without their knowledge or backing.

Infanitno’s reported salary for 2024 was £3.88m. However, US tax filings show he also received £1.3m from the firm ‘FWC2026’, the company which was set up to organise and run this summer’s World Cup. That £1.3m was not disclosed publicly in FIFA’s financial report.

Pressure’s on: Gianni InfantinoPAFIFA’s statutes state in article 43: “The individual compensation of the FIFA president, the members of the council and the FIFA secretary general shall be made public.”

Asked for comment by Sky Sports, the broadcaster reported that 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.

“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.

“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.”