The world football body (FIFA) has categorically rejected media reports that the organization's president Gianni Infantino received additional unofficial amounts in addition to his salary.
“FIFA did not pay its president a second salary“, an official spokesman for the body told the German news agency DPA.
The official denial came immediately after publications in the British newspaper The Times and the American sports giant ESPN. The media claim to have documents according to which Infantino received an additional $1.72 million in 2024.
According to the information, the funds were transferred by American companies in connection with the preparation and organization of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This amount does not appear in his official annual salary as FIFA president, which amounts to $5.1 million.
The case further intensifies the tension surrounding the head of world football. Infantino has come under serious pressure and criticism from a number of leading national federations in Europe and North America.
The main reason for the dissatisfaction was his proposal for a new financial model that would allow private investment funds to acquire shares and commercial rights to tournaments under the auspices of FIFA, including the World Cup.