Politicians, private jets and power/ The life of a FIFA president

Gianni Infantino stepped off a plane in Cali and was greeted on the tarmac by the president of the Colombian Football Federation. Ramon Jesurun, a close ally of Infantino, saw it as a chance to show his support.

Infantino had not traveled to Colombia for any regular meetings on Friday. He was to attend the inauguration of the country’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella.

Infantino was accompanied by Alejandro Dominguez, the president of South American football’s governing body, Conmebol, who praised both his record and the 2026 World Cup, which was hugely successful, saying “we stand with Gianni”.

This is the life of a FIFA president.

Politicians, private jets and power/ The life of a FIFA president

It involves building relationships with some of the most powerful people in the world, as demonstrated by Infantino’s relationship with US President Donald Trump. Before the biggest scandal to hit his term, the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, Infantino was an incredibly powerful figure who seemed untouchable.

Now, after an apology and a stated desire to weather the backlash over his plan to sell a stake in the men’s World Cup to private equity firms, Infantino appears to be trying to get back to business as usual.

It may not be that easy. UEFA’s threat to boycott FIFA tournaments remains in effect. That will be put to the test with the FIFA U-20 World Cup starting in Poland in 29 days.

Perhaps encouraged by the support he has received from outside Europe in recent days, Infantino will not back down easily.

But what exactly is the role of the FIFA president?

Statesman-like journeys to oversee the global game

Politicians, private jets and power/ The life of a FIFA president

A convoy of Mercedes cars with tinted windows, escorted by police cars, entered FIFA’s headquarters in Rabat, Morocco, earlier this week.

Infantino had summoned select members of FIFA’s governing body to discuss his plan to sell 21% of the advertising and ticketing business to a private equity firm.

This is how the Swiss-Italian travels between flights on the Qatar Airways Executive jet that has been made available to him. The plane allowed him to make up to three flights a day, watching two matches, throughout the 2026 World Cup.

This kind of arrival seems truly presidential, only it resembles more like a president of a country than a sports body. It allows him to travel around the world, visiting official FIFA offices such as Rabat, where he stayed last week as the controversy surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise affair unfolded.

In his role, Infantino is expected to visit the 211 member nations to see the grassroots projects that FIFA has funded. Part of his job is to unify football, something that cannot be achieved from FIFA headquarters in Zurich. It requires international travel to attend confederation meetings and global tournaments that FIFA organizes. Infantino must build relationships with officials and politicians. In April, ahead of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, local authorities rejected a request for a level four motorcade, usually reserved for heads of state or the Pope.

New Zealand police said they had rejected a similar request during the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Along with the caravan of cars and private charter flights comes a hefty salary, triple what he earned when he was first elected in 2016.

Infantino, who was paid around £1.3m 10 years ago, now takes home around £4m, a basic salary of £2.2m plus a confirmed variable bonus payment of £1.8m.

His predecessor, Sepp Blatter, was paid a £2.6m package for his final year as FIFA president. Infantino also receives a ‘daily allowance’ to cover expenses and living costs, worth £20,500 a year in addition to his salary. As the head of the world’s most popular sport, he is expected to have a salary to match. Infantino would argue that by bringing in record revenue and funding for member associations, he has proven he is worth the salary.

How Infantino approached Trump

Infantino’s alliance with Trump seemed to have further elevated his status. Many in world football felt that this was beginning to come at the expense of his football responsibilities. In May 2025, Infantino had been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East with Trump and showed up two hours late for the FIFA Congress in Paraguay.

UEFA accused Infantino of prioritizing “private political interests” and orchestrated a walkout from the headquarters. There was also the FIFA Peace Prize, awarded to Trump weeks before the US invaded Venezuela to oust President Nicolas Maduro and launched airstrikes on Iran.

Despite the criticism, FIFA’s ethics committee did not respond to complaints about Infantino’s political neutrality regarding the award. Earlier this year, Infantino made a surprise appearance at the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Peace Board, created to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. The International Olympic Committee, of which Infantino is a member, said its rules on political neutrality had not been violated. However, many felt that he had positioned himself too close to the US president.

This escalated when US striker Folarin Balogun escaped a suspension after being sent off at the World Cup. It was an unprecedented move by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, with Trump saying he had personally called Infantino to ask for the red card to be reviewed. Infantino insisted it was a decision made by an independent body over which no one could have any influence.

On the final weekend of the World Cup, Trump and Infantino appeared together at Trump Tower in New York. The US president said he had called the FIFA president, who “made another great decision.” Then, perhaps the culmination of Infantino’s close relationship with Trump, came the FIFA Forward Enterprise. The private investor would be a company linked to the brother of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Infantino rarely accepts questions from the media

Politicians, private jets and power/ The life of a FIFA president

Independent questions about Infantino’s methods and decisions are rare because he rarely speaks to the media. In the past four years, he has given only two press conferences, both of which lasted an hour and were held before the start of the World Cup.

In addition, Infantino usually appears in interviews produced by FIFA released through their official channels. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Infantino tried to avoid in passing any questions about high ticket prices and fan visas.

But at a pre-World Cup press conference, his response of “just, you know, calm down, relax” to Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the US at Miami airport, raised concerns. By issuing statements through FIFA channels, Infantino may be seeking to shape the narrative. FIFA’s statement issued on Wednesday expressed some remorse. But there was also a rebuke.

This gave Infantino the opportunity to respond, saying that FIFA “would no longer tolerate any attacks on integrity, good governance and due process.”

Critics say the arguments against Infantino are too strong to ignore

The lure of the role is immense, highlighted by the fact that there have been only four permanent FIFA presidents since Stanley Rous was elected in 1961. Outside Europe, Infantino’s record-breaking income has funded the football operations of many countries. It has built loyalty and is a vote-winner. For UEFA and some other national associations, however, the list of reporting lines is now too long. FIFA can no longer be run as an autocratic project, his critics – many of them within European football – argue. Expanding the World Cup was on Infantino’s election platform, and an increase to 64 teams by 2030 looks highly likely if he wins a fourth term.

There was also the expanded summer Club World Cup. The trophy is engraved with a personal tribute – “Inspired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino”. The unique split of the two men’s World Cups helped ensure that Saudi Arabia, another close Infantino ally, would win the 2034 event. The draw for this summer’s World Cup was a long, lavish and bizarre affair. Trump was in the spotlight, as was Infantino. Many supporters thought the ticket prices were too high, while some who were willing to pay were denied visas.

FIFA chose to use a secondary market with unspecified prices and a 30% cut of every ticket sold. Critics said profit had become more important than the fan experience, with the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey asking FIFA to answer questions about its ticketing practices. Despite all the controversy, Infantino was expected to be re-elected, such was his worldwide support in many member associations.

In fact, before the World Cup, 111 people had already declared for him – enough to guarantee re-election. Now that outlook is uncertain due to the fallout from FIFA’s failed private investment plan. UEFA sees this moment as a chance to force him to resign. But, as his attendance at the inauguration of the Colombian president shows, that may be extremely difficult to achieve./ CNA