FIFA president Gianni Infantino received a previously undisclosed payment of $1.72 million in 2024 from the company set up to run the 2026 World Cup, according to documents from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The payment is potentially a violation of FIFA's statutes, though the organization said that it "strongly rejects" any claims that it had violated its rules.
In 2021, FIFA incorporated FWC2026, the nonprofit entity designed to organize the 2026 World Cup.
FWC2026's IRS Form 990 for the 2024 tax year lists $1.72 million in compensation for Infantino. The 2024 form is the most recent publicly available filing.
Article 43, paragraph 13 of FIFA's statutes reads: "The individual compensation of the FIFA president, the members of the council
and the FIFA secretary general shall be made public."
The Times was the first to report Infantino's extra compensation from FWC2026. It also reported that Infantino received similar payments, or potentially more, in 2025 and 2026.
Miguel Maduro, the former chairman of the FIFA governance committee, told The Times that not making Infantino's additional salary public "is a clear contravention of the rules if he is paid other amounts by companies related to FIFA and it is not made public. The FIFA statutes impose an obligation of full transparency. It is not appropriate for the FIFA compensation sub-committee to authorize other forms of remuneration. I agree the president of FIFA needs to be very well paid, but that needs to be transparent."
In a statement sent to USA TODAY Sports, FIFA rejected any claims that Infantino had violated its statutes.
"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 statement read.
“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."
Infantino has seen his position under pressure since the collapse of his controversial plan to sell a portion of FIFA's operations to private investors.
After a hugely successful World Cup, Infantino appeared to be cruising to a fourth successive term as FIFA president. But the controversy surrounding the failed plan led to calls for him to resign – or for a challenger to emerge in the election at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March 2027.
But a viable challenger has yet to emerge as Infantino has scrambled to consolidate support. The deadline for candidates to declare their intent to run is Nov. 18.
The FIFA Council will meet in Zurich on Thursday, Oct. 15 – the first meeting of the 37-person decision-making body since Infantino's failed plan.
FIFA's statement 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."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIFA's Gianni Infantino received previously undisclosed $1.7M World Cup payment
