Financial matters raise controversy over Infantino

A report by The Times reveals that Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, received additional payments amounting to millions of dollars from a company linked to the organization of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, alongside his usual salary from the federation, without these amounts being included in FIFA's annual report, raising questions about compliance with financial transparency regulations.

The investigation was based on a declaration submitted by the company "FWC2026", responsible for organizing the FIFA World Cup in the United States, to the American authorities, and it showed that Infantino received an additional $1.76 million during the year 2024.

In contrast, the FIFA annual report stated that the total earnings of the federation's president for the same year amounted to 4.274 million Swiss francs, which is approximately 3.88 million British pounds, without disclosing the additional amount mentioned in the American declaration.

The Times reported that sources indicated that additional payments during 2025 and 2026 amounted to similar amounts or more. Miguel Maduro, the former chairman of FIFA's governance committee, stated that the failure to disclose these compensations represents a clear violation of the federation's regulations, pointing out that the regulations stipulate the necessity of announcing the financial compensations for the FIFA President, its council members, and the Secretary General.

A FIFA spokesperson stated that the annual salary of the president and other contractual benefits are determined by the relevant compensation subcommittee, adding that the federation discloses the required benefits to the American authorities. However, they did not clarify why additional payments were not included in the annual report, nor did they respond to the newspaper's questions regarding the possibility of other undisclosed amounts in previous periods or during the years 2025 and 2026.

The investigation also addressed Infantino's accommodation arrangements in Miami, highlighting that he used a luxury mansion purchased by Erik Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, for $27 million in 2023. Sources indicated that part of the additional payments may have been linked to accommodation costs, but this has not been conclusively proven. A spokesperson for Schmidt stated that Infantino paid rent in line with market prices for three years and that he no longer resides in the property.

An investigation revealed a purchase of a Miami apartment for $8.6 million in October 2025 from salsa singer Marc Anthony, who was appointed FIFA World Cup ambassador in the city months prior. The apartment was bought by Shadi LLC, registered in Delaware. FIFA confirmed that it does not contribute to the purchase of private properties for its officials, and the investigation did not provide evidence that this transaction constitutes a violation in itself.

The report touched on a previous plan to establish a separate entity to manage FIFA tournaments with the participation of private investors, which was supposed to be headed by Infantino before he became its commissioner in 2031, with an annual salary of 30 million dollars plus bonuses, according to sources from the newspaper. However, FIFA denied discussing the plan, which was abandoned after UEFA threatened to boycott its tournaments.

Despite calls for his resignation, Infantino has announced his intention to run for a new term in March, and so far, no competitor has emerged who meets the requirement of obtaining the support of five national federations to enter the election, while the deadline for submitting nominations ends on November 18.