The World Cup’s commercial power led to record revenue of $2B for FIFA last year, with $337M in profits "coming from the four-year cycle" leading up to the 2014 tournament in Brazil, according to the AP. FIFA, which pocketed $140.7M in profit in '14 alone, added $91M to its reserves, "which now stand" at $1.523B. The revenue of $2.096B in '14 "raised the four-year total" to $5.718B. FIFA’s expenses also soared, topping $5.38B in the past four years, including $1.955B in '14. As usual, FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s salary-and-bonus package "was not detailed in the accounts" (AP, 3/21). BUSINESS INSIDER's Tony Manfred said the report shows "how the organization profited off the World Cup that cost Brazil billions." Much of FIFA's World Cup spending "went to participating teams and confederations" ($476M) and TV production costs ($370M). FIFA contributed $453M to the local organizing committee between '11 and '14, and gave Brazil a $100M "legacy" payment after the tournament. However, FIFA did not contribute to the real costs of staging the tournament -- "stadiums and transportation infrastructure." The tournament cost an estimated $15B, "a significant portion of which was public money" (BUSINESS INSIDER, 3/20).
