The Times apologises to Infantino over false FIFA salary and property claims

The Times has retracted and apologised for a series of inaccurate claims about FIFA president Gianni Infantino, including allegations that he received an undisclosed second salary from the world governing body and purchased a Miami property at a suspected undervalue.

In a published correction, the newspaper stated: “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’. Regulations do not require FIFA to include expenses and reimbursements received by Mr Infantino in its annual report as they are not considered ‘compensation’ under Swiss reporting requirements.”

The Times also accepted that Infantino did not buy a property in Miami at undervalue and confirmed that neither he nor his family are the legal or beneficial owners of Shadi LLC, nor do they exercise any control over the company — contradicting what the original report had suggested. The newspaper said it was “happy to make these corrections and apologise to Mr Infantino and FIFA for the errors.”

FIFA moved quickly to highlight the retraction, framing it as vindication of its long-standing position that the organisation has been the target of a coordinated campaign of misinformation. “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 urges the media to act responsibly and carefully verify all sourcing to prevent the publication and subsequent reproduction of false and defamatory information.”

FIFA added that it would continue to “challenge directly and vigorously” any reporting it considers inaccurate, misleading or false, while insisting it welcomes legitimate scrutiny.

The apology arrives at a turbulent moment for Infantino. UEFA this week sent FIFA a letter demanding the release of key documents by 2 November, posing 42 questions on topics including the FIFA Forward Enterprise private investment scheme, the FIFA Peace Prize, and the decision to suspend the ban on US international Folarin Balogun ahead of the World Cup.

Infantino is also seeking re-election as FIFA president, with the deadline for rival candidates to formally declare their intention to stand set for 18 November. He has so far resisted repeated calls to step down, and the Times retraction removes one of the more concrete allegations that had circulated against him in recent months.