FIFA Quietly Paid Millions in Gianni Infantinos Taxes

A typically dry meeting of the three-person committee that determines the pay of FIFA’s most senior officials was winding down in Bangkok one day in May 2024 when one member brought up what he considered a pressing matter.Bruno Chiomento, a Swiss accountant, noted that FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, had relocated from Switzerland to Miami — where he would face higher income taxes — ahead of the 2026 World Cup.FIFA should pay to offset that extra tax burden through 2026, Mr.

Chiomento argued.The other members quickly agreed without much further discussion, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

FIFA would ultimately pay 100 percent of Mr.Infantino’s tax bill to the U.S.

government.A decade ago, an international corruption scandal nearly brought the end of soccer’s global governing body and vaulted Mr.Infantino into power.

FIFA introduced sweeping transparency reforms in response, including a bylaw requiring that the compensation of top leadership be made public.But to the consternation of several senior officials, the tax benefit approved in the Bangkok meeting was never disclosed in filings, according to documents reviewed by The Times and two people familiar with the benefit, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss internal matters.By the time Mr.

Infantino’s three-year American assignment is over, FIFA will have paid about $4 million of his taxes.Mr.

Infantino earns about $6 million per year, according to FIFA’s annual report.“All FIFA’s internal regulations and processes, and all applicable laws, have been followed,” FIFA said in a statement.“FIFA ensures all reporting and taxation requirements are met.” FIFA declined to provide further detail about its tax arrangement with Mr.

Infantino, but it added that any payments to senior management were independently audited.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you...