The Times apologises to Infantino after retracting false 'second salary' and property claims

The Times has retracted two significant claims against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, issuing a formal correction and apology after admitting its October 13, 2026 report contained false information about his finances and property dealings.

The original article alleged that Infantino had received a “second salary” from FIFA that had not been disclosed in the organisation’s annual report. The Times now accepts that allegation was incorrect. Under Swiss reporting requirements, expenses and reimbursements paid to FIFA’s president are not classified as “compensation” and are therefore not required to appear in the annual report — meaning no disclosure obligation was breached.

The newspaper also retracted a second claim, acknowledging that Infantino did not purchase a property in Miami at a suspected undervalue, as it had reported. The Times further accepted that neither Infantino nor his family are the legal or beneficial owners of Shadi LLC and have no control over that company, contrary to what was suggested in the original piece.

The published correction read: “On 13 October 2026 (Sport), we reported that Gianni Infantino received a ‘second salary’ from Fifa, which Fifa had failed to disclose. This is incorrect. There was no ‘second salary.’” It concluded: “We are happy to make these corrections and apologise to Mr Infantino and Fifa for the errors.”

FIFA responded sharply on X, framing the episode as part of a broader pattern. “It is evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its President,” the governing body said in a statement. FIFA added that it “welcomes legitimate scrutiny” but drew a firm line at inaccurate reporting. “Scrutiny is not a license to amplify false allegations. Where reporting is inaccurate, misleading, or totally false, as in this case, FIFA will continue to challenge it directly and vigorously.”

FIFA also urged the wider media to “act responsibly and carefully verify all sourcing to prevent the publication and subsequent reproduction of false and defamatory information.”