Infantino’s abandoned FIFA venture raises fresh questions over executive rewards

FIFA president Gianni Infantino reportedly stood to receive a salary of $30m (£23.5m) plus bonuses under a proposed commercial venture that has since been abandoned, according to The Times.

FIFA confirmed earlier this week that Infantino had planned to establish a subsidiary valued at more than 17bn euros. The company, FIFA Forward Enterprise, was intended to market 20% of the rights to the World Cup and could have generated about 3.65bn euros.

The proposal has now been withdrawn, but it has intensified scrutiny of Infantino and the way the plan was presented to FIFA’s 211 member associations.

During the campaign to promote the project, Infantino repeatedly said he would not personally benefit from it. However, the reported terms of the proposed arrangement suggest otherwise.

According to The Times, the FIFA president could have been paid an annual salary of $30m, in addition to bonuses. Infantino already receives about $3m in bonuses from FIFA.

The figures have emerged as opposition to the abandoned plan grows among football’s governing bodies and FIFA’s commercial partners. Earlier in the day, UEFA called on its 55 member associations to withdraw their support for Infantino.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have also opposed both the proposal and Infantino.

The Times further reported that FIFA’s sponsors were concerned by the latest developments.

Under the proposed voting arrangements, all 211 FIFA members would have had the opportunity to vote on the project. However, countries supporting it were promised 35m euros, while those voting against would have received 8.7m euros.

That structure has added to concerns surrounding the initiative, particularly because the payments would have differed depending on how each member association voted. FIFA has confirmed the existence of the proposed subsidiary, while Infantino has already offered explanations for the plan’s objectives and its eventual withdrawal.

The project was designed to create a separate company capable of selling a portion of the World Cup’s commercial rights. Those rights would have been transferred to FIFA Forward Enterprise, an organisation expected to have a value exceeding 17bn euros.

The proposed sale of 20% of the World Cup rights was projected to bring in approximately 3.65bn euros. Despite those potential revenues, the plan did not proceed.

Infantino’s position has consequently come under renewed pressure. UEFA’s appeal to its member associations, combined with opposition from CONCACAF and the AFC, means that resistance now extends across several major football confederations.

The reported salary and bonus arrangements have added a further focus to the controversy. While the venture itself has been abandoned, questions remain over Infantino’s earlier assurances that he would gain no personal financial benefit from the scheme.