Calls grow for Infantino to resign after undeclared £1.3m salary revealed

Infantino is facing renewed calls to step down from his position as FIFA president following reports that he received an undeclared second salary worth £1.3 million. While football's world governing body has publicly committed to transparency regarding its leadership's earnings since 2016, this specific payment from 2024 was notably absent from the organisation's official annual report, which only listed a salary of £3.88m.

However, recent US tax filings have shed light on the additional £1.3m transaction, which originated from FWC2026, the subsidiary established to manage the upcoming World Cup. This discovery has led to accusations that FIFA is failing to adhere to its own transparency regulations. Specifically, Article 43, paragraph 13 of the FIFA statutes dictates: 'The individual compensation of the FIFA president, the members of the council and the FIFA secretary general shall be made public.'

In the wake of the allegations, the governing body has attempted to clarify the situation by pointing toward its established internal processes. When asked for comment, FIFA said: 'The FIFA president's annual compensation, as well as other contractual benefits, are decided by the FIFA compensation sub-committee,' as reported by Sky Sports.

'FIFA contributes to social charges, pension fund and other contractual employee benefits for the president, as mentioned in the FIFA annual report. These benefits are reported to the US authorities in line with reporting requirements.' This statement suggests that while the payments were not explicitly detailed in the public-facing annual report as salary, they were documented through the appropriate legal channels required by the Internal Revenue Service in the United States - a detail first uncovered and reported by The Times through its review of the tax filings.

Questions have been raised about why Infantino was the sole high-ranking official to receive such a payment from the FWC2026 entity. Records indicate that FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom did not receive any additional funds from the subsidiary. Furthermore, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, who serves as the chairman of the FWC2026 board, also received no extra compensation from the company despite his significant role in the tournament's organisation.

The situation has further alienated Infantino from several key power brokers in the sport. The president has reportedly lost the backing of UEFA and various federations across North America and Asia. Despite his presidency becoming increasingly mired in scandal and controversy, Infantino is steadfastly refusing to resign, confident that he retains sufficient support in Africa and South America to secure re-election in March next year.

Despite the current climate of hostility, Infantino remains focused on securing another term in office, with no credible challenger yet emerging to threaten his position. Although former Tottenham and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega has expressed his desire to run, he appears unlikely to secure the backing of the five federations required to become an official candidate before the November 18 deadline for declarations.