Two salaries and a luxury estate: The new exposé that implicates Infantino

A Times investigation reveals that FIFA President Gianni Infantino received an additional $1.76 million beyond his official salary in 2024, from the World Cup organizing company, without the amount being reported in FIFA's financial statements. Part of the funds were allegedly used to finance his residence in a luxury estate in Miami. A former senior FIFA official calls for an independent investigation.

An investigation by the British newspaper The Times reveals that FIFA President Gianni Infantino received an additional $1.76 million in 2024 beyond his official salary, without the amount being reported in the organization's annual reports. The additional payment came from FWC2026 US Inc, a company established to organize the 2026 World Cup in the United States. According to sources, similar or even higher payments were made to Infantino in 2025 and 2026, but these have not yet been verified in published documents. Of the additional payment he received in 2024, approximately $626,000 was classified as compensation and other benefits, and figures in world football have raised questions about whether the funds were used to finance his residence in a luxury estate in the Sunset Islands area of Miami Beach. The estate was purchased in 2023 for $27 million by Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google. Schmidt's spokesperson stated that Infantino paid market-rate rent for three years and no longer resides at the property. Additionally, in October 2025, a luxury apartment in Miami was purchased for $8.6 million from a real estate company linked to singer Marc Anthony, who eight months earlier had been appointed a 2026 World Cup ambassador in the city. Sources claimed that the name of the purchasing company is linked to the names of Infantino's daughters. A former senior FIFA official, Miguel Maduro, argued that the non-disclosure of the payments constitutes a violation of the organization's statutes and called for an independent investigation. FIFA stated that Infantino's salary is determined by the compensation committee and that the benefits are reported to US authorities, but did not explain why the payments were not included in the annual report. Infantino intends to run for another term as FIFA President this coming March.