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The unknown FIFA millionaire who worked for the Norwegian FA: 'He barely comments on the weather'
🇳🇴 Norway /Sports

The unknown FIFA millionaire who worked for the Norwegian FA: 'He barely comments on the weather'

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

Translated from Norwegian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Mattias Grafström, FIFA's secretary general with a $2 million annual salary, is a largely unknown figure despite his high-ranking position.
  • Grafström, who previously worked for the Norwegian Football Federation, is considered a potential successor to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
  • Known for his extreme discretion, Grafström rarely gives interviews and carefully chooses his words, a trait attributed to Infantino's dominant public profile.

Mattias Grafström, FIFA's secretary general, earns an annual salary of 23 million kroner (approximately $2 million), yet remains a figure largely unknown to the public. Grafström, who once took assignments for the Norwegian Football Federation, has risen through the ranks to become a key player within FIFA, with some speculating he could succeed current FIFA President Gianni Infantino when his term ends in 2031.

He is incredibly pleasant when you meet him, but he will never say anything. I've probably written that he will hardly comment on the weather. He is so incredibly careful and afraid, and does not want to stand out at all.

— Olof LundhA Swedish journalist describing Mattias Grafström's reserved nature.

Swedish media have described Grafström as a "doldis," meaning someone unknown to most. TV 4 journalist Olof Lundh told VG that Grafström is incredibly pleasant but extremely cautious, rarely commenting on anything beyond the weather and actively avoiding the spotlight. This reticence is so pronounced that VG found only one prior interview with Grafström in Swedish and international media, conducted in 2024.

You don't become secretary general of UEFA by chance. Mattias Grafström knows an enormous number of people in the football world. He remembers people and is multilingual.

— Olof LundhCommentary on Grafström's qualifications and network within football.

Grafström, who has a Swedish father and Dutch mother and grew up in Switzerland, began his career with a summer job at UEFA. He moved to FIFA when Gianni Infantino transitioned from UEFA. Lundh notes that Grafström's ascent to secretary general was not accidental, highlighting his extensive network within football and his multilingual abilities, speaking Swedish, Dutch, German, Spanish, French, and English fluently.

Gianni Infantino is in many ways a working chairman. Then it quickly becomes like that for a secretary general. There is no room for another person in the spotlight. And Infantino loves the spotlight.

— Olof LundhExplaining Grafström's low public profile in relation to Infantino's prominence.

Lundh suggests Grafström's anonymity is partly due to Infantino's role as a "working chairman" who occupies the public's attention. With Infantino thriving in the spotlight, there is little room for the secretary general to do the same. Grafström has remained loyal to Infantino amidst FIFA's controversies, a path that has taken him around the world, including a handshake with Donald Trump, as noted by Aftonbladet.

I sometimes feel like a fly on the wall. I never thought I would get to experience this. I hadn't even dreamed of it.

— Mattias GrafströmGrafström reflecting on his experiences in his role.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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