UEFA, Concacaf Urge FIFA To Release $10m To Each Member Association

UEFA and CONCACAF have called on FIFA to release at least $10 million to each of its 211 member associations from its accumulated reserves for the 2027-2030 cycle.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani made the demand in a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, saying FIFA is on course to close the 2023-2026 cycle with reserves of about $6 billion.

They argued that the figure is considerably more than FIFA needs through to the 2030 World Cup and said part of the reserves could be distributed to support infrastructure and football development. The proposed one-off payment would cost FIFA about $2.11 billion and come in addition to its regular funding for the cycle.

The request comes amid continued opposition to FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposal to create a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The plan included selling a 21 per cent stake to an investment company but was withdrawn four days after its announcement following opposition from national associations.

Infantino had told member associations they could receive $40 million if they backed the proposal, with a deadline of 19 September to accept the plans and gain access to an initial $20 million.

Ceferin and Montagliani said their analysis of FIFA’s published financial statements and budgets raised doubts about whether the FFE proposal was necessary to provide greater resources to member associations. They called for an independent review of FIFA’s finances, with “full access to the underlying figures and assumptions”, and said a larger distribution from the reserves should be considered once FIFA’s financial position at the end of the year is known.

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

The letter 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 two confederations also said development funding should remain an institutional responsibility of FIFA. “Development is an institutional responsibility of FIFA, not a matter of individual discretion,” they wrote.

A separate letter has been sent to the presidents of the other four confederations, including the Confederation of African Football, asking them to support the proposed distribution. The development follows a separate request from Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt for FIFA to release all documents relating to the FFE proposal.

Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, also called for the FIFA Council to receive a written explanation for the cancellation of the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup. FIFA’s next Council meeting is scheduled for 15 October.

Infantino is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president at the election in March 2027, while potential opponents have until 18 November to nominate an alternative candidate.