Gianni Infantino is facing mounting pressure to resign after US tax filings showed he received an undeclared second payment of £1.3 million from the company organising this summer’s World Cup in 2024.
The FIFA president reported a salary of £3.88 million for the year, but received an additional £1.3 million from FWC2026, the organisation established to stage and run the tournament. The payment was not disclosed in FIFA’s annual report.
FIFA has published Infantino’s salary, bonuses and allowances in its annual report every year since 2016. Article 43 of the organisation’s statutes states: “The individual compensation of the FIFA president, the members of the council and the FIFA secretary general shall be made public.”
Asked about the payment, FIFA said the president’s compensation and contractual benefits were determined by its compensation sub-committee.
“FIFA contributes to social charges, pension fund and other contractual employee benefits for the president, as mentioned in the FIFA annual report. These benefits are reported to the US authorities in line with reporting requirements,” the governing body said.
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom did not receive an additional payment from FWC2026. Nor did Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, who chaired the company’s board.
Infantino is due to meet fellow members of the FIFA Council on Thursday, for the first time since he attempted to part-privatise FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, without their knowledge.
His presidency has been beset by controversy, while he has also lost the support of UEFA and some federations in North America and Asia. However, Infantino is refusing to resign and believes he has sufficient backing to win re-election in March next year.
No credible challenger has emerged, with candidates intending to stand required to declare their plans by November 18. Infantino has been re-elected unopposed twice since defeating four other candidates to become FIFA president in 2016.
