The scale of FIFA's excesses were highlighted on Wednesday when a study of salaries showed that employees at soccer's world governing body received wages that were 34 percent higher than the average hedge fund trader.
FIFA employees averaged a yearly salary of $242,000, 25 percent higher than the $194,000 commanded by traders at banks and 34 percent more than the $180,000 earned by employees at hedge funds, according to salary benchmarking website Emolument.
"Financial industry professionals must be breathing a sigh of relief that FIFA remuneration is hogging all the limelight," Alice Leguay, co-founder of Emolument, said in a press release.
"The abyss between FIFA and the average NPC (non-profit company) is simply staggering, beyond the simple fact that FIFA employees made more than traders, who are often pointed out as the epitome of greed."
Soccer's world governing body – which has been plunged into crisis by allegations of corruption – says it is a non-profit organization. But Emolument found that FIFA salaries were 3.7 times higher than the $66,000 average salary in not-for-profit organizations.
The average salary of FIFA employees also puts it ahead of its European counterpart, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which pays workers an average of $177,000 per annum.
Emolument analysed data from 2,700 employees who worked in banking, hedge fund and non-for-profit-corporations. Figures for FIFA came from its yearly reports.