UEFA and CONCACAF have called on FIFA to release at least $10 million to each of its 211 member associations from its cash reserves.
The request was made in a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, signed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.
The letter comes amid growing disagreement over Infantino’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a plan that would have created a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions.
Under the proposal, 21% of the new company would have been sold to an investment company. However, the plan was withdrawn after four days following strong opposition from national football associations.
According to the letter, FIFA is expected to end the 2023-26 financial cycle with reserves of about $6 billion.
Ceferin and Montagliani argued that the amount is considerably more than FIFA needs to operate until the 2030 World Cup.
They called for at least $10 million to be made available to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations for the 2027-30 cycle.
The money, they said, should be used for football development and infrastructure.
The proposed one-off payment would cost FIFA about $2.11 billion and would come in addition to the regular funding already planned for the cycle.
The two confederation presidents also called for an independent review of FIFA’s finances, with full access to the figures and assumptions used in its financial planning.
They said FIFA’s accumulated reserves belong to football and should serve the interests of its member associations.
The letter also questioned whether the controversial FFE proposal was necessary to provide more resources to football.
When the FFE plan was first presented, Infantino told FIFA members they could receive up to $40 million if they supported it. A deadline of September 19 was also set for federations that wanted to access an initial $20 million.
A separate letter has been sent to the presidents of the other FIFA confederations in Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania, asking them to support the proposed release of funds.
The development comes a day after Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt wrote to Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, demanding the release of all documents linked to the FFE proposal.
Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, also asked FIFA to provide its Council with a written explanation over the cancellation of the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup.
She wants the documents released before the next FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15.
Infantino, 56, is set to seek a fourth term as FIFA president in March 2027. Potential opponents have until November 18 to put forward an alternative candidate.
