ZURICH — The Times has apologized to FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, over its October 13 report, FIFA said in a media release on Wednesday.
In the apology quoted in the release, The Times accepted that its report that Infantino received a "second salary" from FIFA, which FIFA had failed to disclose, was incorrect, and that there was no "second salary."
The Times also accepted, in the apology quoted by FIFA, that regulations do not require FIFA to include expenses and reimbursements received by Infantino in its annual report, as they are not considered "compensation" under Swiss reporting requirements.
The apology also accepted that Infantino did not purchase a property in Miami at a suspected undervalue as reported, and that neither he nor his family are the legal or beneficial owners of Shadi LLC and have no control over that company.
FIFA said in the release that, as it stated in August, it believes there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president, and it urged media to verify sourcing carefully. FIFA said it welcomes legitimate scrutiny, but will continue to challenge reporting it says is inaccurate, misleading or false.