June 10--Aside from scandals and federal indictments, working for FIFA seems like a pretty sweet gig if you're interested in big paychecks.
According to Bloomberg, FIFA employees make an average salary of $242,000 a year. Citing data from London-based salary benchmarking site Emolument.com, Bloomberg said FIFA pays its employees 37% more than Europe's soccer governing body, the UEFA.
When compared to other nonprofit organizations, FIFA's payouts look even bigger. According to Emolument, the average nonprofit employee makes $66,000 a year. The report also notes that the average hedge-fund professional ($180,000) and financial trader ($194,000) make less than FIFA staffers, before bonuses are considered.
"The abyss between FIFA and the average nonprofit is simply staggering, beyond the simple fact that FIFA employees made more than traders, who are often pointed out as the epitome of greed," Emolument's Alice Leguay told Bloomberg.
Last month, U.S. authorities indicted 14 individuals with ties to FIFA as part of an ongoing corruption investigation. Less than a week later, longtime FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced his resignation. Blatter has not been charged in the probe.
The comparison of salary numbers, taken from FIFA's and UEFA's annual financial reports, came on the same day that FIFA announced it is delaying the bidding contest for the 2026 World Cup.
"This is nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being," FIFA's secretary general, Jerome Valcke, told reporters in Russia on Wednesday.
