FIFA President Faces Resignation Pressure Over Undisclosed Payment

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing renewed pressure to resign after US tax filings revealed that he received an additional £1.3 million ($1.76 million) from FWC2026 in 2024, beyond the £3.88 million ($5.1 million) in salary reported in FIFA's annual disclosure. The payment was not publicly disclosed in the organization's annual report, raising questions about its compensation transparency as Infantino prepares to seek another term in March 2027.

FWC2026 is the company established to organize and operate the 2026 World Cup. The Times first reported the US Internal Revenue Service filing containing details of the additional payment, according to Sky Sports News.

FIFA has published Infantino's salary, bonuses and allowances in its annual report every year since 2016. 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 disputed the suggestion that the payment represented a second salary or that the organization had breached its disclosure obligations.

"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."

A FIFA spokesperson made the statements in response to questions about the payment. FIFA maintained that its financial reporting complied with applicable requirements and that the president's compensation arrangements were determined independently.

The filings also showed that FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom received no additional payment from FWC2026. CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, who chaired the company's board, likewise received no extra payment.

The disclosure comes amid wider tensions over Infantino's leadership. On Thursday, he is scheduled to meet the other 36 members of the FIFA Council in Zurich for the first time since his attempt to sell private investors stakes in FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, without first securing their agreement, according to Sky Sports News.

Infantino has faced opposition from UEFA and some football federations in North America and Asia but has refused to step down. He believes he has sufficient support to win re-election in March 2027, particularly among federations in Africa and South America.

No candidate widely considered capable of defeating Infantino has emerged so far. Former Tottenham and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega has expressed an interest in running, but Sky Sports News reported that he is unlikely to secure the backing of the five federations required to become an official candidate.

Candidates have until November 18 to declare their intention to stand. Infantino was elected FIFA president in 2016 after defeating four other candidates and subsequently won unopposed re-election in 2019 and 2023.

FIFA's rules limit presidents to three terms. However, Infantino is eligible to run again because FIFA maintains that his initial three-year term, from 2016 to 2019, does not count toward the limit.