FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been accused of “abuse of power” after the organization booked a VIP airport escort in Miami for the soccer hunk’s wife and daughter, including a trip with their dog, sources and official records show.
His wife and daughter appeared 125 times in protocol logs at Miami International Airport since January 2024, according to records released by The Washington Post. The logs contain 95 records, many of which list more than one family member.
On 63 of these dates, Gianni did not record them. His wife, Leena Infantino, appeared 46 times, nearly twice as many as her globe-trotting husband (24 appearances).
Internal airport correspondence seen by The Washington Post revealed that FIFA asked his daughters, Alessia, Sabrina and Dalia, to travel to Doha “with their dogs” and receive the red carpet treatment.
Airport spokesman Greg Chin confirmed FIFA made the requests. Infantino leads an NGO whose staff is free, so “the service is granted,” Chin said.
Two top European sports governance experts told The Washington Post that this could create ethical dilemmas for FIFA. The law prohibits officials from using their positions to “pursue private purposes or interests.”
Antoine Duval of the TMC Asser Institute in The Hague said that under the code it “could amount to an abuse of power” if Infantino asked FIFA to arrange a private trip for his family.
Duval, a senior researcher in sports law, said this would be “an abuse of FIFA’s resources for personal purposes”.
Arnout Geeraert of the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, who once served as chairman of Belgium’s football integrity group, said that according to the basic rules of good governance, “this is an abuse of power, an abuse of power”.
The Washington Post has reached out to FIFA, the State Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, for comment.
The Swiss-Italian sports boss is spending more time in Miami, where FIFA has offices, ahead of the World Cup. The Infantino family lives in a celebrity-studded apartment on Biscayne Boulevard, where David Beckham once had a plush pad.
Official documents show that Gianni’s VIP pass covers the entire family.
According to the airport’s current rule book, protocol officers can quickly check in VIPs. Staff can request special security lanes and line up early for boarding.
“Standard practice” is to direct guests to the right “to the aircraft door.” If a gate agent hesitates, the agent must remain calm and avoid “drawing unnecessary attention from guests.”
When arriving from abroad, an official will lead the distinguished guest through the “diplomatic channel” of the immigration office. An electric car can pull them to the side of the road.
Chin insisted that escorts cannot skip any customs or security steps. He said every VIP request flying from abroad is reviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
He did not say whether the FBI was informed that the FIFA president was not on the plane.
Miami Airport’s rulebook lists 27 VIP seats, ranging from Supreme Court justices to school board members. The president and cabinet secretaries can bring their “tour groups.”
The word “spouse” appears only once – next to the head of the diplomatic corps.
Infantino is a fit for an NGO boss. It makes no mention of family, relatives or pets as qualifications.
Chin noted that part of the rulebook says anyone outside the official list will be reviewed “on a case-by-case basis.” The Head Concierge or designee must approve each request.
The only test, he added, is the VIP list category and whether there are enough people available. Officials said the office handles more than 5,000 requests annually.
A State Department solo escort program imposes tighter restrictions on its own VIP treatment. Its rules allow the escort of the foreign minister’s spouse and children under 12, but only if they fly with the minister.
“Other family members are not eligible,” its guidance says. The department’s protocol manual adds that children of eligible VIPs “flying independently are not eligible” for their VIP port benefits.
A former White House official who managed the arrival of federal dignitaries told The Washington Post that the arrangement was a gross misuse of government resources and would be “disgusting” to career protocol officers.
“It sounds a bit abusive,” the senior source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “These courtesies are offered as part of a broader statecraft. Its purpose is to achieve higher honors.”
Josh Paul, a former diplomat and State Department director, added that the benefits “are not intended as gifts.”
But the airport said there was nothing stopping it from serving families flying alone. The county budget shows VIP service is operated with airport funds, not county property taxes.
The red carpet treatment isn’t just limited to his wife and kids. Infantino’s sisters Daniela and Mirella received this benefit twice during the World Cup. The logs label them as “Guests of the President,” not family members.
During the race, the “gravy train” reached top speed. In 39 days, Infantino set 15 VIP records.
Gianni was not among them. On July 9, two days before England faced Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami, the diary labeled daughters Sabrina and Shania Serena as “executive guests”.
Overall, Dahlia appeared 29 times, Alessia 25 times, Sabrina 18 times, and Shania Serena 7 times. In 11 records, daughters were recorded, but neither parent was recorded.
However, neither expert wants FIFA to take action. Girard noted that the Zurich-based agency could call VIP escorts “standard protocol for security reasons.” He called the ethics committee “a notorious black box.”
Duvall said “many” complaints against Infantino were “buried” by the panel’s investigators. He “wouldn’t bet on FIFA seriously investigating Infantino unless he was a lame duck.”
Duvall said the panel’s independence was “difficult to guarantee.” Its members are elected by the FIFA Congress – “the majority of which is controlled by Infantino”.
In a company, “shareholders will react to something like this,” Gillat said. But FIFA is responsible to the Football Federation. He said most people would ask: “So what’s the problem here?”
While Infantino’s status as a global sports leader requires rapid airport security and logistical support for his own travels, standard diplomatic norms do not account for the broad reach of this benefit.
His unaccompanied family and pets used the protocol dozens of times with no clear safety reason.
It’s the latest turmoil for the 56-year-old president, who is running for another four-year term in March.
The embattled football boss remains locked in a bitter civil war with UEFA. Infantino has faced a backlash in Europe over his proposed massive expansion of the tournament and a clash with the sport’s traditional power brokers.
The Washington Post revealed on Monday that Infantino and his inner circle worked with contacts in the Trump administration to obtain a new work permit for the Nicaraguan maid after her previous authorization was revoked. FIFA has widely denied it but has not mentioned whether one of its top aides was involved in the incident.
Just weeks after the scandal broke, this report revealed that Infantino used FIFA cash to hire a British PR firm to promote his re-election campaign. The Zurich organization also denied the claim, but a leaked email later obtained by a Post reporter confirmed the news was true.
Last month, ESPN reported that he received an undisclosed amount of $1.72 million from FIFA’s World Cup USA nonprofit in 2024. In addition, the company also provided compensation worth approximately $4.9 million. FIFA said it “strongly rejects” these claims.
The day after the World Cup finals in New Jersey, Lena, Alessia, Daria, Sabrina and Shania Serena were booked together in the Miami concierge office. Jani is not on the list.