FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that he will make less than 2M Swiss francs ($2.04M) a year, "well below the salary of his disgraced predecessor, Sepp Blatter," according to the AFP. Infantino has not yet agreed to terms with FIFA but speaking to Switzerland’s Blick newspaper, he said that his salary “will be less than the 2 million francs people have speculated about.” Infantino described past dealings with FIFA's compensation committee as "insulting" and "completely arbitrary." He said that his pay "could be finalised when the compensation committee meets again." On Sunday, Infantino restated his claims that "those opposed to cleaning up FIFA’s corrupt ways have sought to undermine his reforms bids." He said that he wanted to work with the IOC to address the “sensitive issue” of football at the Summer Games. Men’s football at the Olympics is "largely for players under 23, with three overaged players allowed in each squad, while the women’s tournament is a competition of the best in the sport." The men’s format “is not a good solution,” Infantino told Blick (AFP, 8/28).
NO MORE WINE: OMNISPORT reported Infantino had a "wine cellar converted and antique furniture removed from his office as part of his pledge to champion reform" in the organization. He said, "I wanted to replace the heavy baroque furniture in my predecessor's office. In the next room, here was a wine cellar and a sofa. I wanted to customize the office to my needs. I said, 'Look in the store room, there will probably be something there we can use.' Now the old furniture is gone, and I have normal office furnishings from the basement, at no extra cost" (OMNISPORT, 8/28).