Infantino planned $30 million payday through FIFA venture – The Times

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sought to increase his annual salary to $30 million if his proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise project had been successfully implemented, The Times has reported.

According to a source cited by the newspaper, Infantino also expected to receive additional bonuses for leading the new entity.

The plan envisaged the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise, a company that would oversee the governing body's flagship men's and women's competitions. Infantino argued that establishing the company would increase revenues for FIFA's member associations and help drive the development of football worldwide. FIFA maintained that the proposed structure could attract up to $4.2 billion in investment.

However, the initiative faced widespread criticism from football officials, national federations and other organizations. Journalist Romain Molina reported that Infantino was likely to step down after losing internal support within FIFA over the proposal.

Infantino ultimately abandoned the project to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup to private investors.

By Jeyhun Aghazada