FIFA paid U.S. tax of four million dollars for Gianni Infantino

FIFA is facing fresh controversy after revelations that the organisation covered U.S. tax liabilities for its president, Gianni Infantino, amounting to four million dollars.

According to reporting, the special tax-equalisation arrangement was applied to Infantino for the years 2024, 2025 and 2026 while he was resident in Miami during preparations linked to the upcoming World Cup. That regime is normally intended for ordinary employees who relocate to the United States to avoid financial penalties; its use for an elected senior official has raised questions.

Internal approval, no official record

The decision to grant Infantino the tax relief was reportedly authorised by a small internal committee in 2024 but was never entered into FIFA's official records. The arrangement has provoked public anger because it provided preferential treatment without clear documentation in the organisation’s files.

Key involvement in the process has been attributed to Bruno Džomento, described as president of the independent board for governance and audit and a longtime personal friend of Infantino. Džomento also benefited from privileges allegedly reserved for him alone — including exclusive VIP accreditations with the right to pick matches, and the right to pay an annual membership fee of 250,000 in Swiss francs instead of in dollars, reportedly profiting from exchange-rate differences.

The revelations arrive at a sensitive moment for FIFA, already embroiled in controversy over a proposal to sell World Cup rights to private investors and facing threats of a European boycott. The disclosures come ahead of 18 March, when Infantino intends to formally seek support in Vancouver for a fourth presidential term; he is currently the only registered candidate for that election.

FIFA now confronts renewed scrutiny about governance and transparency at the top of the game as questions mount over who authorised the payments and why the arrangement was kept out of official records.

Photo: press material from the event