GIANNI INFANTINO would have been earning nearly £1MILLION per week if his controversial World Cup sell-off plot prevailed.
The Fifa president, who has dominated the headlines since the beginning of the World Cup in June, was forced to u-turn on his plans to sell the World Cup to investors in a humiliating ordeal.
Despite insisting that “nobody is selling football”, Infantino‘s £42million salary increase would make sport’s highest earners drool.
As the commissioner or chief executive, he would be expected to be placed on a stunning salary, according to the Times.
Infantino would be paid nearly £1million-a-week, boasting an annual salary of £47MILLION.
To put it into context, it’s the equivalent of what the top paid players earn in the renowned money pit that is the Saudi Pro League.
However, Infantino might have to settle for his modest £4.4million salary for the time being, as the under-fire chief announced he was backtracking on his plan to allow private investors to buy up a chunk of the global tournament, after sparking global backlash.
The Fifa president hoped to secure £3.1billion of private funding for his FFE project by October.
US bank JP Morgan were reportedly brought on board in an advisory capacity.
And Thrive Capital, backed by Donald Trump‘s son in law Jared Kushner, were tipped to purchase a 20 per cent stake in the money-making venture.
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But despite having dollar signs in his eyes, Infantino was brought back down to earth, as European football governing body Uefa had their say.
Uefa‘s member nations threatened to boycott the next Fifa tournaments, including the World Cup, while Concacaf and the AFC also hit out.
The FA also weighed in on Infantino’s lucrative project, saying: “We fully support UEFA’s position.
“It is time for a full and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart.”
Despite his countless controversies, the Italian is still determined to hold on to his role in the 2027 Fifa elections.
He isn’t about to walk away from the top job – even after his senior advisor quit and the whole of Uefa turned on him.
In his own statement, Infantino said: “Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.
“Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve.
“As a result, this proposal will not proceed.
“Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.”
