UEFA and CONCACAF Challenge FIFA Finances, Demanding $10m Payout for Members

FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces renewed pressure after the collapse of plans to sell stakes in FIFA competitions. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani have requested an independent review of FIFA's financial reserves and proposed a $2.1bn payout to its 211 member associations, highlighting escalating tensions surrounding the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project.

According to a letter sent on Friday to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and reviewed by the Reuters news agency, the proposal would grant at least $10m to each member association across the 2027-30 cycle. This funding would be provided in addition to the resources already promised under the world football body’s Forward Programme, according to the two FIFA vice-presidents.

The FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE, was initially pitched to the 211 member associations as an initiative to sell stakes in FIFA’s competitions to external investors to significantly boost football development funds. Although FFE was scrapped following strong opposition, Gianni Infantino is still anticipated to run for another term, while his opponents work to identify a challenger ahead of the March 2027 vote.

Aleksander Ceferin and Victor Montagliani stated that their review of published financial statements and budgets by FIFA casts doubt on whether the aborted transaction was ever necessary. The letter noted that their analysis questions the actual need for the proposed transaction to secure greater resources for the MAs.

Furthermore, they pointed out that FIFA is projected to conclude the 2023-26 cycle with record reserves of approximately $6bn. They argued that the governing body possesses the financial strength to distribute substantially more funds directly from its balance sheet to national associations.

Under the proposed plan, a minimum of $10m would be allocated to each member association between 2027 and 2030 for infrastructure and football development, totaling roughly $2.1bn. This one-time release of funds would operate independently of the ongoing FIFA Forward Programme.

Aleksander Ceferin and Montagliani emphasized that even with this distribution, FIFA’s reserves would not drop below approximately $1.5bn during the upcoming cycle, remaining about 50 percent higher than the minimum reserve level budgeted by FIFA for 2023-26.

While conceding that their financial assessment is preliminary—combining actual 2022-25 results with 2026 estimates and 2027-30 assumptions—they called for an independent review with full access to underlying data and assumptions prior to any formal recommendations.

The letter also framed the issue as a matter of governance, asserting that member associations should not be forced to choose between receiving development funding and independently evaluating FIFA proposals. The text stresses that development is an institutional responsibility of FIFA rather than a matter of individual discretion.

Aleksander Ceferin and Montagliani suggested that the confederations collaborate to finalize the analysis, determine the appropriate reserve amount to release to member associations, and present recommendations at the upcoming FIFA Council meeting. They also plan to seek backing from the presidents of the remaining four continental confederations.

FIFA did not immediately issue a response to a Reuters request for comment.