FIFA president Gianni Infantino is under growing pressure to resign after US tax filings revealed he received £1.3m ($1.76m) in 2024 on top of his salary, a payment 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 £3.88m ($5.1m) in salary. The tax filings show the additional sum came 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.”
FIFA responds
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 statement continued: “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, and neither did CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, even though he chaired the FWC2026 board.
Council meeting and mounting scandal
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, yet he is refusing to resign. He has lost the support of UEFA and some federations in North America and Asia, but he believes he has enough backing to be re-elected in March next year, especially in Africa and South America.
Possible challengers and term limits
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 he needs to become an official candidate. Candidates have until November 18 to declare their intention to stand.
Infantino has been re-elected unopposed in the past two elections, in 2019 and 2023, after he beat four other candidates to become president in 2016. FIFA presidents are not permitted to serve more than three terms, but FIFA is claiming his initial three-year term, from 2016 to 2019, does not count towards that limit, which allows him to stand again.