Fifa Leadership Crisis
Rowan Callaghan|Published
Fifa president Gianni Infantino finds himself at the centre of an escalating governance storm after revelations that he received an undeclared £1.76m (about R29m) payment tied to the organisation of this year's World Cup.
The findings, uncovered in public filings made to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), show that FWC2026 US Inc – a non-profit subsidiary entity created to manage operations for the 48-team tournament in North America – distributed the seven-figure sum to Infantino in 2024.
The key issue threatening to derail Fifa's carefully curated reform narrative is not just the size of the payout, but its omission from official disclosures. Fifa’s own published annual financial statements declared Infantino’s official 2024 earnings at approximately 4.27 million Swiss francs (about R85.1m).
However, the additional $1.76m paid through the US World Cup entity was left out of the main public financial report, prompting accusations of a direct breach of Fifa’s governance statutes.
Under article 43 of the Fifa statutes, the individual compensation of the organisation's president, secretary-general, and council members must be made fully public. Critics argue that funneling executive compensation through regional subsidiary entities undermines those safeguards and evades the mandatory oversight of Fifa's independent compensation subcommittee.
The controversy comes in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, which Fifa celebrated as one of the most financially successful tournaments in football history, breaking all-time attendance and commercial revenue records.
The revelations, which first appeared in The Times, have sparked sharp criticism from governance experts and senior football executives across Europe.
Earlier this year, Infantino also faced strong opposition over a now-abandoned plan to sell a 20% stake in World Cup commercial rights to private equity investors.
Miguel Maduro, former chairman of Fifa’s governance committee, offered a blunt assessment of the subsidiary payments: "It is a clear contravention of the rules if he is paid other amounts by companies related to Fifa and it is not made public."
Independent watchdogs have echoed these concerns, warning that undisclosed subsidiary payments threaten to undo the governance reforms implemented after the downfall of Sepp Blatter in 2015.
Fifa rejects allegations
Fifa moved quickly to defend its chief executive, forcefully denying any breach of internal ethics or financial regulations in an official statement.
"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 subcommittee," it read.
It is worth noting, however, that they did not deny that the payment was made. Spokespeople for world football's governing body maintained that all financial statements undergo rigorous independent audits and comply fully with tax laws in Switzerland, the US, and internationally.
Despite Fifa’s pushback, members of the Fifa council – backed by influential figures in Uefa – are preparing to confront Infantino at an executive meeting in Zurich. As discontent spreads among European associations, senior figures in Uefa have begun courting former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger to challenge Infantino for the Fifa presidency.
Reformers view Wenger, currently Fifa’s chief of global football development, as a globally respected figure who could restore credibility to the leadership. Former Uefa executive Alex Phillips told BBC Sport that Wenger "would bring football and integrity to the leadership of Fifa".
While Wenger has not yet confirmed whether he will enter the race, candidate nominations close on November 18 ahead of the election at the Fifa Congress in Rabat on March 18, 2027.