FIFA President Gianni Infantino has secured a 33% pay rise to run world football which meant his salary exceeded £3.6m last year, Sky News has found.
The increase during the Women’s World Cup year featured deep in financial documents approved by the FIFA Council on Thursday and sent to global football officials.
Mr Infantino’s base salary was 1.95m Swiss francs (£1.7m) in 2022 with a bonus of 1.65m Swiss francs (£1.5m) – a total equating to about £3.2m.
Spain won the Women’s World Cup in 2023. Pic: Reuters
In a previously undisclosed decision by the FIFA compensation subcommittee, Mr Infantino’s base pay was raised to 2.6m Swiss francs (£2.3m) following his re-election for a third term as president last year.
The rise was applied during last year meaning he earned 2,463,710 Swiss francs (£2.2m) along with a bonus of 1,650,000 Swiss francs (£1.5m) – the same as the previous year.
That means he earned 4.1m Swiss francs (£3.6m) in total during the Women’s World Cup year of 2023.
Three men sit on the committee that decides Mr Infantino’s pay. It is chaired by retired Indian judge Mukul Mudgal, alongside FIFA’s South American vice president Alejandro Dominguez, and Swiss accountancy veteran Bruno Chiomento.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter in 2022. Pic: Reuters
Before the final in Sydney, Mr Infantino told women to “pick the right battles” as they fight to greater status in football and push for equal pay, placing the emphasis on them to “force the change”.
He will earn the full 2.6m Swiss francs annually – plus any annual bonus – for the rest of his term until 2027.
After being elected FIFA president in 2016, Mr Infantino agreed an annual base salary of 1.5 million Swiss francs (£1.3m).
He can now remain in power until 2031 after changes to the statutes which allow him to seek a fourth term, having started by completing the three years of banned predecessor Sepp Blatter’s mandate.
He can now remain in power until 2031 after securing backing from the FIFA Council in 2022 to allow him to seek a fourth term beyond an envisaged 12-year term limit, by disregarding his first partial term that was completing the three years of banned predecessor Sepp Blatter’s mandate.
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Mr Infantino is not earning pay from FIFA on the levels of Mr Blatter who earned a bonus alone of $12m (£9.4m) for the 2014 World Cup but only later disclosed by investigators amid less transparency during that era at the governing body.
Last year produced record revenue from the Women’s World Cup with FIFA’s overall annual earnings of $1.17bn (£0.9bn) representing a 53% rise from the 2019 Women’s World Cup year.
FIFA is projecting revenue to soar to $11bn (£8.6bn) in the 2023-26 cycle ending with the expanded 48-team men’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada – up from $7.6bn (£6bn) 2019-2022 covering the Qatar World Cup which featured 32 countries.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I think that FIFA boss deserves a pay raise. He’s done a lot to improve the game. On the other hand, I think that the pay raise is a bit too much. I think that FIFA could have found a way to give him a smaller pay raise and still show their appreciation for his work.
I don’t think that FIFA boss deserves a 33% pay raise. He has not done anything to improve the game, and in fact, I think he has made it worse. He has made the game too commercialized and has forgotten about the fans. I think that FIFA needs to find a new boss who is more interested in the game than in making money.
I don’t really care about FIFA boss’s pay raise. I’m more concerned about the state of the game. I think that FIFA needs to focus on improving the game and making it more enjoyable for fans. I don’t think that giving their boss a pay raise is going to help with that.
It’s important to note that FIFA is a non-profit organization, and the boss’s salary is paid from the organization’s revenue. The revenue is generated from the sale of tickets, television rights, and sponsorships. So, while it may seem like a lot of money, it’s important to remember that it’s not coming from taxpayer dollars.
I think that FIFA boss’s pay raise is a good thing. I think that he deserves it and that it will help him to continue to improve the game. I’m excited to see what the future holds for FIFA and I think that this pay raise is a step in the right direction.
I think that FIFA boss’s pay raise is a bad thing. I think that he doesn’t deserve it and that it will only lead to more corruption and mismanagement within FIFA. I’m worried about the future of FIFA and I think that this pay raise is a sign that things are only going to get worse.
Wow, FIFA is really setting a great example for the rest of the world. I’m sure that all of the women who are fighting for equal pay will be thrilled to hear that FIFA is giving their boss a 33% pay raise.
This is an outrage! FIFA is already one of the richest organizations in the world, and now they’re giving their boss a 33% pay raise? This is a slap in the face to all of the fans who support the game. FIFA needs to get its priorities straight and start investing in the development of the game instead of lining the pockets of its executives.
Oh, the irony! FIFA is telling women that they need to ‘force change’ in order to achieve equal pay, while at the same time they’re giving their boss a 33% pay raise. What a joke!
Finally, some good news! FIFA has been long overdue for a pay raise, and it’s great to see that they’re finally taking steps to address the issue. I’m sure that this will help to improve the quality of the game and make it more enjoyable for everyone.
I can’t believe that FIFA is giving their boss a 33% pay raise. I mean, what has he done to deserve it? He’s not even good at his job! I bet he doesn’t even know the offside rule.