Top FIFA Officials, Including Blatter, Awarded Themselves $80 Million in Raises and Bonuses in Last Five Years

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, and former finance director Markus Kattner awarded themselves upwards of $80 million in pay raises and World Cup bonuses, just in the last five years alone, lawyers for FIFA revealed on Friday through a FIFA press release.

The news of obscene salaries and bonuses at the not-for-profit come as little surprise for those who have been anticipating further evidence in the criminal proceedings opened against Blatter last September, Valcke's in March, and after Kattner's dismissal last week. The only matter was just how much money was being funneled into their pockets.

Sepp Blatter's spokesman Klaus Stoehlker: "My job for Blatter is finished. The #FIFA volcano is exploding"
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) June 3, 2016

The spreadsheet outlining their bonuses and pay raises—released by FIFA today—reads as a farcical account of money changing hands between a scant five signatories: Blatter, Valcke, Kattner, former FIFA vice president Julio Grodona, and even Blatter's replacement as acting FIFA president after allegations, Issa Hayatou.

Perhaps a more obscure line item is recently resigned audit chairman, Domenico Scala, who was in charge of overseeing FIFA reform, signed off on a contract extension for finance director Kattner through 2023—only four days after the U.S. indicted FIFA for heinous corruption allegations on May 27. The FIFA spreadsheet even accounted for, "Clauses regarding special termination pay in the event of a termination for cause and the indemnification clause as set forth in Amendment III of April 30, 2011 continue to apply." Basically, a green light to give an obscene amount of severance pay even for just-cause firings.

In FIFA's press release, they stated dryly:

Something else noteworthy: current President Gianni Infantino was eager to throw Scala under the bus after Scala condemned Infantino for alleged corruption, including rejecting a proposed $2 million salary. And yes, this is all happening three weeks after Infantino announced that "the crisis is over." Mission accomplished.