IRS complaint seeks inquiry into alleged FIFA funding of Infantino household staff

A complaint submitted to the United States Internal Revenue Service has requested an investigation into allegations that a person working as a housekeeper for FIFA president Gianni Infantino received compensation through an entity affiliated with football's governing body. The Guardian reported the filing on Wednesday. FIFA said Infantino personally pays the costs of any domestic staff.

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The newspaper said it had seen the complaint and accompanying documents. According to its report, the filing alleges that the individual worked exclusively for Infantino and his wife, Leena, at their Miami residence while receiving compensation or benefits through a FIFA-affiliated organisation. Those assertions remain allegations in a request for an investigation, rather than findings by the IRS.

The complaint asks authorities to examine the underlying records and determine what happened. It argues that using organisational resources to fund work for a leader's household would raise questions about private benefit, financial reporting, compensation and governance. It also questions the accuracy of information in employment, payroll, tax and immigration records, according to the Guardian's account.

FIFA's response rejected the premise that it bears the household staffing costs. A spokesperson told the Guardian that the president's private and domestic affairs were personal matters, while stating that he meets those expenses himself. The organisation also said it welcomed legitimate scrutiny but disputed what it characterised as false allegations, and said it would continue challenging inaccurate or misleading reporting.

The filing was submitted by Washington DC immigration lawyer Abed Ayoub, who has served as national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Guardian reported. Separately, a spokesperson for Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House judiciary committee, said the committee was following developments closely. The spokesperson said it had not requested documents concerning the housekeeper.

The Guardian said it had approached the IRS for comment; its report did not confirm that an investigation had been opened. The newspaper reported that FIFA's US tax-exempt status could be at risk if the agency investigated and established the claims. Any such consequence therefore remains conditional: the reported development is the submission of a complaint, alongside FIFA's denial that it pays for Infantino's domestic staff.