UEFA, CONCACAF demand FIFA release $2.1 billion to member associations
European and North American football bodies have called on FIFA to distribute part of its cash reserves to all 211 member associations, deepening a dispute over the organization's finances.
UEFA and CONCACAF, two of world football's continental federations, on Friday urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to release roughly $2.1 billion from the governing body's reserves for distribution among its 211 member associations.
In a letter to Infantino, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said each member association should receive $10 million over the 2027-2030 period.
Background to the dispute
The row follows revelations that Infantino had sought to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors, a proposal that triggered a strong backlash across the sport. UEFA had threatened to boycott all FIFA competitions until the plan was dropped. Infantino has said the initiative was meant to raise capital to support football development worldwide.
The federations' case
Ceferin and Montagliani's letter argued that FIFA's reserves, estimated at around $6 billion, could fund football development without bringing in outside investors. It stated that FIFA already has the capacity to deliver substantially more funding to its member associations directly from its own balance sheet, without requiring anything in return. According to the federations' analysis, a one-off payout of about $2.1 billion for infrastructure and development would come on top of FIFA's existing annual development funding, which currently stands at $8 million per country over a four-year cycle.
UEFA and CONCACAF said they would present formal recommendations on how the funds should be disbursed at the next FIFA Council meeting.
Additional pressure on Infantino
The letter came a day after Debbie Hewitt, chair of England's Football Association, asked Infantino to fully disclose information about the failed private equity plan. She also requested documents related to the decision to suspend a ban imposed on US striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, a decision that came after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Infantino.
