Rabat – British newspaper The Times has issued a public apology to FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino after retracting claims about an alleged undisclosed salary and a property purchase in Miami.
The apology, published on Tuesday, concerns an article that appeared in the newspaper’s sports section on October 13.
The original report claimed that Infantino had received a second salary from FIFA that was not disclosed in the organization’s annual financial statements.
However, in its official correction, the newspaper acknowledged that the claim was inaccurate.
“There was no ‘second salary,'” The Times stated.
The newspaper clarified that expenses and reimbursements received by Infantino are not classified as compensation under Swiss financial reporting requirements and therefore do not need to appear in FIFA’s annual report.
It also withdrew its claims concerning a property in Miami, acknowledging that Infantino had not purchased the property at a price suspected to be below market value.
The Times further clarified that neither the FIFA president nor his family owns or controls Shadi LLC, the company mentioned in its initial reporting.
“We are happy to make these corrections and apologise to Mr Infantino and FIFA for the errors,” the newspaper stated.
FIFA responded on Wednesday through an official statement, describing the original reporting as inaccurate and damaging.
The governing body argued that the incident reflected what it believes to be a broader attempt to undermine its leadership.
“As FIFA stated in August, it is evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its President,” the statement read.
FIFA also urged media organizations to verify their sources carefully before publishing allegations concerning the organization or its officials.
“FIFA welcomes legitimate scrutiny. But scrutiny is not a license to amplify false allegations,” it added.
The dispute takes place amid wider disagreements over Infantino’s leadership, particularly following the collapse of a proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights to FIFA competitions.
The proposal faced opposition from UEFA, several national football associations, and senior figures within the sport. In August, FIFA accused unnamed critics of attempting to challenge Infantino’s leadership outside the organization’s established democratic procedures.
Those tensions have continued, with UEFA recently requesting further documentation from FIFA concerning the abandoned commercial proposal and other governance decisions.
Wednesday’s statement concluded with FIFA’s commitment to continue challenging reporting it considers inaccurate or misleading, while maintaining that legitimate scrutiny of football’s governing body remains welcome.
