Reports of an additional payment from the company responsible for organising the 2026 World Cup have renewed questions about FIFA’s financial transparency, while the governing body denies wrongdoing.
By Wapcodehub9ja LIVE News Desk
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing renewed scrutiny over his financial arrangements after reports revealed that he received an additional £1.3 million payment in 2024 from a company established to organise the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The payment, reportedly worth approximately $1.76 million, was not separately listed in FIFA’s annual financial report for that year, prompting questions about transparency in the remuneration of football’s most senior official.
The payment was reportedly made by FWC2026, the United States-based entity responsible for managing and operating the tournament. Details emerged from US tax filings obtained by ESPN and reported by international media organisations. The disclosure has drawn attention because FIFA has published details of its president’s salary, bonuses and allowances in its annual reports, making the additional payment a subject of renewed public and governance scrutiny.
FIFA’s 2024 annual report listed Infantino’s gross base salary at 2.6 million Swiss francs, with variable compensation of 1.65 million Swiss francs and flat-rate allowances of 24,000 Swiss francs. The report stated that the variable compensation awarded for 2024 would be paid in 2025. The additional payment from FWC2026 was not separately itemised in that disclosure, raising questions about how compensation connected to the World Cup organising entity was accounted for alongside his publicly reported remuneration.
The issue has also revived debate about FIFA’s rules on financial disclosure. Article 43 of the organisation’s statutes states that the individual compensation of the FIFA president, members of the FIFA Council and the secretary general must be made public. Former FIFA governance committee chairman Miguel Maduro has reportedly called for scrutiny of the payment arrangements, arguing that compensation from FIFA-related entities must comply with the organisation’s transparency requirements. Whether the reported payment constituted a breach has not been formally established in the information available.
FIFA has rejected allegations that it failed to meet its disclosure obligations. A spokesperson said the organisation does not pay the president a second salary and maintains that its compensation arrangements comply with applicable reporting requirements. FIFA also said the president’s annual remuneration and other contractual benefits are determined by an independent Compensation Sub-Committee, adding that its accounts are independently audited and its declarations comply with relevant tax regulations. The organisation has therefore disputed suggestions that the payment amounted to a violation of its statutes.
The disclosure comes amid wider scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership, including criticism earlier in 2026 over a proposal to sell private investors stakes in FIFA tournaments, a plan that was subsequently abandoned. Infantino, who became president in 2016, has indicated that he intends to seek another term in 2027. The latest controversy has intensified calls for accountability and renewed questions about how FIFA reports payments linked to its tournament operations. However, the reported omission alone does not establish misconduct, and FIFA continues to deny wrongdoing.
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