FIFA has issued an apology published today by The Times, following an inaccurate and damaging report: “On 13 October 2026 (Sport), we reported that Gianni Infantino had received a ‘second award’ from FIFA, which FIFA had not made public. This was incorrect. There was no ‘second award’. FIFA is not required by regulations to include in its annual report the expenses and reimbursements received by Mr Infantino, as they are not considered ‘compensation’ under Swiss reporting requirements.
We also acknowledge that Mr. Infantino did not purchase a property in Miami at an alleged lower than fair value, as we had reported, and neither he nor his family are the legal or beneficial owners of Shadi LLC and do not exercise any control over this company, as we had implied. We are pleased to make these corrections and apologize to Mr. Infantino and FIFA for the errors. As FIFA stated in August, it is clear that there is a coordinated and ongoing effort by several individuals to undermine FIFA and its President.”
FIFA calls on the media to act responsibly and carefully verify all sources, to prevent the publication and subsequent reproduction of false and defamatory information. FIFA welcomes legitimate scrutiny of its activities. However, scrutiny is not a license to spread false accusations. When reporting is inaccurate, misleading or outright untrue, as in this case, FIFA will continue to challenge it directly and resolutely.
