FIFA allegedly reneges on millions promised to World Cup host cities

Football's governing body, FIFA, is accused of failing to disburse promised funds to the 11 host cities of the upcoming World Cup in the United States, The Athletic reported on Tuesday. FIFA's top leadership allegedly pledged $1 million (approximately 870,000 euros) in aid to each of these cities.

This follows a similar commitment made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino last year to host cities of the Club World Cup. That million-dollar sum was intended for projects such as stadium construction. However, four leaders from the US host city committees claim that FIFA's top brass made a similar promise for the current World Cup. This agreement was reportedly verbal and discussed multiple times.

The committee leaders have expressed bewilderment over FIFA's failure to make these payments, especially considering the organization's substantial revenue of around $15 billion for the 2023-2026 period. A potential obstacle to payment might be that some of the host city committees are concluding their operations.

During the World Cup, the cities were responsible for aspects like security and transportation. The report also touches upon recent controversies surrounding FIFA, including Infantino's rejected proposal to sell partial ownership of the World Cup to private investors and ongoing discussions about his future leadership.