Contract places Infantino at the centre
FIFA is paying a London-based sports marketing agency under a contract that specifically identifies the protection of Gianni Infantino’s image as one of its main objectives. The agreement with Ten Toes Media is reportedly worth £2.3 million and covers a period of 22 months. It began in March 2025 and is scheduled to run until December 2026.
According to Martyn Ziegler of The Times, the contract requires the company to “safeguard FIFA and the president’s image” while raising the organisation’s profile. Ten Toes is also expected to help FIFA control its online storytelling in accordance with Infantino’s vision. The wording gives the president an unusually prominent place in a contract financed by world football’s governing body.
The agreement was signed well before the latest crisis surrounding Infantino and was therefore not commissioned as an emergency response to the current pressure on his leadership. However, its existence has become more significant as questions grow about FIFA’s governance, commercial strategy and relationship with its regional confederations. The contract shows that protecting Infantino’s reputation was already a formal communications priority long before those disputes reached their present level.
An agency working around the clock
Ten Toes Media has been hired to assist with FIFA’s accounts on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X. According to Muhammad Sharaf Eldeen’s report for Goal, its responsibilities include producing written material, videos, images and graphics while monitoring public reactions. The agency can also use influencers to increase FIFA’s reach and engagement.
Read also: ‘No chance I’m watching’: Trump’s Presidents Cup role sparks boycott calls
The contract calls for continuous support delivered by managers operating across different time zones. Ten Toes is headquartered in London but also has offices in New York and Dubai, giving it access to several of FIFA’s most important commercial markets. Its previous clients include UEFA, Arsenal and England captain Harry Kane.
The company’s performance is reportedly measured through indicators such as follower growth, impressions and the sentiment generated by FIFA’s content. This means the success of the contract is not judged exclusively by how widely FIFA’s messages are distributed. The public response to those messages, including material connected to Infantino, is also part of the equation.
Restricted comments create uncomfortable contrast
According to Jules Poupin of L’Équipe, only accounts followed by Infantino are currently permitted to comment on his Instagram posts. That restriction is striking when placed beside a contract that measures reach, interaction and public sentiment. It limits the visible criticism beneath his own posts while FIFA’s communications advisers monitor the broader online response.
There is nothing unusual about a global organisation hiring an external agency to manage social media during major events. FIFA’s channels must operate across several languages, continents and time zones, particularly during tournaments involving millions of supporters. The more sensitive question is why the protection of one elected official’s image appears alongside the interests of the institution itself.
Read also: Eberl backs new Kane deal after Bayern striker's cup brace: 'Both sides want it'
FIFA has defended the outsourcing arrangement as a practical response to an exceptional communications workload. The contract covered both the expanded 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup, two events that required a large volume of round-the-clock content. That explanation addresses why FIFA needed external assistance, although it does not remove questions about the language used to describe the agency’s responsibilities.
Revelation arrives at a difficult moment
The contract has entered the public domain while Infantino is facing one of the most serious governance disputes of his presidency. FIFA recently abandoned a proposal to create a commercial subsidiary that would have managed rights connected to its competitions and opened part of the business to outside investment. UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation objected to the proposal and criticised the process through which it had been developed.
According to an Associated Press report on UEFA’s legal preparations, European football officials are considering a criminal complaint in Switzerland over the abandoned project. UEFA has alleged that the proposed structure and valuation could constitute criminal mismanagement, although no court has ruled that Infantino or FIFA committed an offence. FIFA has rejected the wider attack on its leadership, while Infantino has remained in office.
The pressure is also spreading beyond Europe. New Zealand Football has withdrawn its support for Infantino and called for an independent review of the failed commercial proposal, while other associations have demanded stronger safeguards around FIFA’s decision-making. The dispute is therefore no longer limited to disagreements over communications or presentation.
FIFA’s image and Infantino’s future converge
The revelation does not prove that Ten Toes Media has misled supporters or concealed information, and hiring professional communications advisers is not in itself evidence of wrongdoing. The significant detail is that FIFA’s contract appears to treat the reputation of the organisation and the reputation of its president as closely connected objectives. That distinction matters when Infantino is seeking to retain political support among FIFA’s 211 member associations.
FIFA can argue that its president is its most visible international representative and that protecting his credibility also protects the institution. Critics, however, are likely to question whether football revenue should be used to manage the personal standing of an elected leader facing scrutiny from within the game. At a time when opponents are demanding greater independence and accountability, the £2.3 million agreement risks becoming another symbol of how tightly FIFA’s identity has been built around Infantino.
Read also: Alcaraz warns he will skip more tournaments after four months out with wrist injury
