"Can you imagine Roger Goodell dipping into the NFL coffers to promote himself? He'd be pink-slipped on the spot." That quote, from a senior soccer source, captures exactly what FIFA has been caught doing for Gianni Infantino — and then lying about it.
Leaked emails reviewed by the New York Post reveal that FIFA hired Sir Martin Sorrell's London-based marketing agency, Monks, to run an international media campaign on behalf of its embattled president as he fights to secure a fourth term in 2027. The problem: FIFA explicitly denied doing exactly that, calling it "demonstrably false" to link any supplier contract with the presidential election. Days later, a Monks staffer emailed journalists around the world — including the BBC — pitching pro-Infantino content framed explicitly around "attention increasingly turning towards the 2027 FIFA presidential election."
What the PR pitch actually said
The email, sent by Monks' Sarah Jackson, wasn't subtle. It circulated glowing quotes from Caribbean federation presidents praising Infantino and urged reporters to use the material to counter criticism from CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani. Jackson called it an "interesting piece when all put together" — a compiled set of testimonials designed to shore up Infantino's political standing ahead of the vote.
The quotes themselves read like political endorsements dressed up as football commentary. Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts gushed that Infantino "has done so very well for soccer globally." British Virgin Islands FA president Avanell Morton asked, "Well, what more can he do? He's doing a fantastic job already."
Infantino had just returned from a Caribbean tour — staying, according to the Post, at the St. Regis in Manhattan where suites run over $11,000 a night, and largely travelling on a Qatar-registered private jet. A senior FIFA insider summed it up bluntly: "Gianni never pays for anything out of his own pocket."
The bigger picture: FIFA's money, Infantino's image
This sits inside a much messier story. Infantino's grip on the presidency has been visibly shaken since FIFA's $20 billion plan to sell commercial assets to Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital collapsed in July. UEFA has since gone to a Manhattan federal judge seeking documents and depositions from Thrive Capital — a move FIFA called "harassment" — as European football's governing body explores a potential criminal case in Switzerland.
Infantino was first elected in February 2016 following Sepp Blatter's resignation. A fourth term would run 2027 to 2031. With opposition building and the commercial deal in ruins, the PR campaign makes political sense. The lie about it does not — and the leaked emails have made that denial impossible to sustain.
FIFA has been asked for comment. So has Monks. Neither has provided one yet.
