Courting controversy and befriending Trump - the story of Fifa boss Infantino
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- Gianni Infantino was elected FIFA president in 2016 after Sepp Blatter resigned amid corruption claims, with the organization facing a reported $550m (£392m) financial black hole.
- FIFA now expects record revenues of $13bn (£9.6bn) for the three-year cycle through end of 2025, boosted by the expanded Club World Cup and the largest-ever 48-team World Cup.
- FIFA's proposal to sell stakes in its competitions — including the World Cup — to private investors has drawn widespread criticism, with UEFA threatening a boycott of future World Cups.
- The 2030 World Cup will be staged across three continents (Africa, Europe and South America), while the 2034 tournament was effectively guaranteed to Saudi Arabia as the only realistic bid.
- Infantino received a 33% pay rise in May 2024 upon his re-election, taking his base salary from 1.95m Swiss francs to 2.6m Swiss francs (£2.3m) — close to Blatter's final annual pay.
- UEFA walked out of FIFA Congress in May 2025 after Infantino arrived two hours late from a diplomatic tour with Donald Trump, accusing him of prioritising "private political interests."
- Trump was awarded the controversial FIFA Peace Prize during the December 2025 World Cup draw, and later intervened to overturn USA forward Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension during the tournament.
Why it matters: UEFA's threatened World Cup boycott and the collapse of trust in FIFA's governance threaten the unity of international football's biggest tournaments, while Infantino's £2.3m salary — and the Club World Cup trophy inscribed "Inspired by the FIFA president Gianni Infantino" — illustrate how concentrated power has become at the top of the game.
