Fifa to leave ‘best possible’ Paris offices after staff departures and tax setback

Tour de France riders outside the Hôtel de la Marine, where Fifa is set to leave its offices. Photograph: Zuma Press/Alamy

Fifa is set to leave offices at the prestigious Hôtel de la Marine in Paris after only three years and relocate its bureau to smaller premises in the French capital after staff numbers dropped by more than half, the Guardian understands.

The Hôtel de la Marine bureau, opened in 2021 by president Emmanuel Macron, is one of 12 established by world football’s governing body as part of what Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has described as “our ambition to make football truly global”.

Paris is where Fifa was founded in 1904 and had its headquarters until 1932, and the Hôtel de la Marine offices were intended to become a base for its football development activities, including the Fifa Forward programme which helps member countries with financial and technical resources to develop the game.

Part of Fifa’s commercial services also relocated to Paris, and meetings with representatives of French-speaking federations from around the world are often held at the prestigious location on the Place de la Concorde. The 18th-century building was reportedly recommended to Fifa by Macron after it was restored between 2017 and 2021 by the Centre des monuments nationaux.

Insiders have told the Guardian that Fifa will move out at the end of the month and relocate to smaller offices on the Place de la Concorde. That is a result of the sharp drop in staff numbers since it opened with 35 employees, all of whom had moved from Fifa’s existing headquarters in Zurich.

They had hoped to be exempt from higher taxes in France that would effectively reduce their salaries by up to 35% after Macron had proposed tax benefits for international federations if they moved to the country. But the plan was heavily criticised and was ruled as unconstitutional by the French constitutional council in December, leading to more departures from dissatisfied staff. It is understood that only five of the original 35 remain in post, and that fewer than half have been replaced.

“What is crazy is that they forced people to break their contracts in Switzerland without giving the conditions of the French contract,” says one source. “In Paris people are paid 30-35% less than they were before.”

In response, a Fifa spokesperson did not deny the plan to move premises but told the Guardian that it “will base its strategic decisions about employees and office on the clarity of the French statutes for international federations”.

Infantino spoke of the huge significance of Fifa’s return to Paris when the bureau opened in 2021. “In addition to being one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, it is perfectly connected and easy to access,” he said. “In addition, France is the title holder of the Fifa World Cup and it has just hosted a wonderful edition of the Fifa Women’s World Cup.

“Finally, its action in terms of football development sets an example. The activities of this new branch focus on this area. We believe we can achieve great things in Paris and we would like to thank Emmanuel Macron and his team for the quality of the work carried out with Fifa in the search for the best possible location for our Parisian site.”