FIFA president Gianni Infantino stood to earn around 55 million euros a year if he had taken charge of the commercial entity proposed under the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, according to the New York Times. That figure is roughly ten times his current total income.
Infantino recently abandoned plans to open FIFA's commercial activities to private capital following widespread criticism and threats to boycott the 2026 World Cup. The New York Times report raises questions about what drove him to defend the initiative so tenaciously against opposition from across the football world.
A tenfold salary increase
According to the American newspaper, Infantino could have received close to 47 million pounds sterling, or approximately 55 million euros per year, had he led the new commercial entity that the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan would have created.
His current pay package as head of the association consists of a base gross salary of 2.6 million dollars a year, equivalent to around 2.24 million euros. Annual bonuses bring his total annual earnings to approximately 5 million euros. The salary reportedly on offer at the head of the commercial entity would therefore have been ten times that amount.
While pushing the project, Infantino had promised 20 million euros to each member federation as part of the arrangement.
Abandoned under pressure
Infantino dropped the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan after facing a backlash described as coming from his own inner circle as well as from the broader football community. Reporting cited by the source noted that Infantino had been the sole voice within FIFA leadership championing the private-investment opening.
The abandonment came amid threats of a historic boycott of the football world against the proposal. The New York Times account suggests that personal financial interest may have been a significant factor in his push to advance the scheme, given the scale of the potential remuneration attached to leading the resulting commercial entity.
The episode has drawn attention to the gap between the salary levels at the top of world football's governing body and the cost of attending major tournaments. The source noted that Infantino had also faced criticism over ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup being out of reach for many fans.
