Gianni Infantino faced €30m salary claim over abandoned World Cup rights plan

A British newspaper report has revealed that Gianni Infantino could have received a salary of more than €30m, plus bonuses, under a controversial FIFA plan to sell a share of World Cup rights.

The proposal was linked to FIFA Forward Enterprise, a company connected to world football’s governing body. Infantino, the president of FIFA, had suggested using the company to sell 20% of the rights to the World Cup.

According to The Times, the plan could have generated about €3.65bn for FIFA. However, the proposal attracted strong criticism before it was eventually abandoned.

The reported payment would have represented a substantial increase on Infantino’s usual salary as FIFA president. The Times said he would have been entitled to at least €30m under the proposed arrangement, compared with his regular annual salary of €3m.

Infantino has repeatedly maintained that he would not personally become wealthy as a result of his position. That claim has now come under renewed scrutiny following the publication of new leaked details concerning the proposed salary package.

The reported figure would have been made up of a salary of at least €30m, with additional bonuses also included. The report does not suggest that the amount was paid, but says it was the sum Infantino would have received under the plan associated with FIFA Forward Enterprise.

The project centred on the commercial exploitation of World Cup rights through the FIFA-linked company. The planned sale of a 20% share was presented as a way of generating significant revenue for the organisation, with the estimated return put at approximately €3.65bn.

The proposal was criticised heavily before FIFA ultimately dropped it. The report has therefore raised questions about the relationship between Infantino’s public assurances about personal wealth and the financial terms that were discussed as part of the abandoned project.

The salary details were reported by The Times, which described the possible payment as being far above Infantino’s standard remuneration as FIFA president. His usual salary was given as €3m, meaning the proposed minimum of €30m would have been at least 10 times higher, before any bonuses were taken into account.

The revelations concern a plan that was not carried through, rather than a confirmed payment to Infantino. They nevertheless place renewed focus on the financial arrangements considered for FIFA Forward Enterprise and on Infantino’s role in the proposal to sell part of the World Cup’s commercial rights.