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FIFA president Infantino accused of 'clear violation' over undisclosed World Cup pay

Maduro urges investigation after IRS filings reveal $US1.76m payment from FIFA's US World Cup subsidiary

By LineZotpaper
Published
Updated
Read Time2 min
Sources4 outlets
The former chairman of FIFA's governance committee has accused Gianni Infantino of a “clear violation of FIFA's statutes” and called for an investigation, after US tax filings showed the FIFA president received $US1.76 million from a FIFA-owned World Cup organising company that was not disclosed in the governing body's 2024 annual report.

Miguel Maduro, who previously chaired FIFA's governance committee, told The Times, which first reported on the US account filings, that the failure to make the extra payments public breached the organisation's regulations.

“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,” he said, calling for investigations.

US Internal Revenue Service filings show FWC2026 US Inc, a FIFA subsidiary World Cup organising company for the US, paid Infantino $US1.76 million (£1.3 million) on top of his roughly £4 million declared earnings. FIFA's 2024 annual report lists the president's earnings as 4.27 million Swiss francs ($7.35 million).

The omission comes despite FIFA statutes stating that “the individual compensation of the FIFA president ... shall be made public”. The payments from the subsidiary do not appear to have been disclosed by FIFA for the relevant year.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The allegation goes directly to FIFA's own statute requiring the president's individual compensation to be made public.
  • If payments from FIFA-related entities can sit outside annual reports, the disclosure requirement can be bypassed, weakening accountability at the top of world football's governing body.
  • The company at the centre, FWC2026 US Inc, is tied to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, putting the tournament's financial arrangements under fresh scrutiny.

Background

FIFA's statutes state that the individual compensation of the FIFA president shall be made public. The 2024 annual report listed Infantino's earnings at 4.27 million Swiss francs. The newly reported payments came from FWC2026 US Inc, a FIFA subsidiary World Cup organising company in the United States. US Internal Revenue Service filings show it paid Infantino $US1.76 million, an amount that does not appear in FIFA's public disclosure for the relevant year.

Key Perspectives

Miguel Maduro: The former FIFA governance committee chairman says paying the president through FIFA-related companies without making it public is a clear contravention of the rules, and he wants investigations. The Times: The newspaper first reported the US account filings, bringing the discrepancy between what FWC2026 US Inc paid and what FIFA disclosed into public view. FIFA's statutes: The governing body's own rules set the benchmark: the individual compensation of the FIFA president shall be made public, which the omission appears to fall short of.

What to Watch

  • Whether FIFA opens or endorses an investigation into the payments, as Maduro has urged.
  • Whether further reporting on FWC2026 US Inc's IRS filings reveals other payments to FIFA leadership.
  • Whether FIFA's next annual report addresses the discrepancy or changes how subsidiary payments to the president are disclosed.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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