UEFA and CONCACAF ask FIFA to share $10 million with each member association

UEFA and CONCACAF are asking FIFA to give at least $10 million to each of its 211 member associations from its savings for the 2027-30 cycle.

BBC Sport reported on Friday that in a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani said FIFA has enough money to make this one-time payment.

This proposed payment would cost FIFA about $2.11 billion. It would be extra money on top of what FIFA usually provides for the 2027-30 cycle.

The letter stated that FIFA is “on course to close 2023-26 with reserves of approximately $6bn.” It added that this amount is “considerably more than is required” until the 2030 World Cup.

Ceferin and Montagliani mentioned that their review of FIFA’s financial reports raised questions about whether the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan was really needed to give more money to football associations.

The FFE plan aimed to set up a new company to handle the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA events, including the World Cup. The plan included selling 21% of the company to an investment firm.

This proposal was dropped just four days after it was announced due to strong opposition from national associations.

“FIFA should make at least $10m available to each of its 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle,” the letter said. It also noted that the funds should be used for “investment in infrastructure and football development.”

The two confederation presidents also pushed for an independent review of FIFA’s finances, saying it should have “full access to the underlying figures and assumptions.”

“FIFA currently holds billions of dollars in accumulated reserves,” they wrote. “These resources belong to football and exist to serve the game and its 211 member associations.”

They added, “Prudence should not prevent a careful examination of whether a portion could responsibly be released to the extent those reserves exceed FIFA’s foreseeable needs.”

The letter also stated that development funding should be a responsibility of FIFA, not left to individual choices.

“Development is an institutional responsibility of FIFA, not a matter of individual discretion,” Ceferin and Montagliani said.

This latest request comes during a larger argument over the FFE proposal and FIFA’s financial management.

Another letter was sent to the leaders of the other four confederations: the Asian Football Confederation, Confederation of African Football, South American Football Confederation, and Oceania Football Confederation, asking for their support for the proposed distribution.

This follows a separate letter from Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt to Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom. She demanded documents related to the FFE plan.

Hewitt, who also serves as a FIFA vice-president, asked for the FIFA Council to get a written explanation about the lifting of the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.

FIFA’s next Council meeting is set for October 15.

Infantino is aiming for a fourth term as FIFA president in the elections happening in March. Possible challengers have until November 18 to put forward their candidates.