December 11 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has evaded criminal prosecution in Switzerland after public prosecutor investigations were withdrawn after months of investigations, is now under pressure in his home country for the expenses he draws from FIFA.
Swiss media is reporting that the schooling for one of his daughters is being paid for in Miami by FIFA, costing $5,000 per month.
FIFA has opened an office in Miami to run its 2026 World Cup and next year’s Club World Cup and has moved its legal department from its Zurich headquarters to the US. The move affected 100 jobs with many of its legal team choosing not to move to the US.
Following the World Cup in Qatar Infantino has been spending more time in Miami, and having moved his family to the US from Qatar, it would now appear to be his main residence. Previously FIFA has previously said that he remains a Swiss citizen and is paying any relevant personal taxes in Switzerland.
Asked by Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick to comment on FIFA’s payment of Infantino’s daughters schooling, FIFA said: “The total benefits are comparable to the remuneration packages offered to executives by other international companies and sports organisations based in Switzerland.”
It was an argument FIFA has used before in defending former FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s final salary of $3 million.
However, Infantino now earns as his basic salary more than what Blatter was earning after 17 years as the organisation’s general secretary and a further 17 years as its president.
In its latest financial report FIFA gave Infantino’s base salary as CHF4.13 million ($4.67 million). This was a 33% uplift on his previous pay package.
Known for his frequent use of private jets above scheduled carrier flights, SonntagsBlick pointed out that FIFA also contributes to the cost of Infantino’s flat in Paris as well as a home in the Swiss canton of Zug, which reported costs CHF7,950 a month to rent.
Infantino also had a home in Qatar though it is not clear whether that home remains in his ownership.
Infantino’s salary package is more than FIFA’s federations can receive in their annual grants, assuming they meet all the FIFA criteria.
Infantino’s remuneration package criteria is decided by a remuneration committee appointed internally.
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