Uefa and Concacaf have jointly appealed to Fifa president Gianni Infantino to distribute a minimum of $10 million to each of the governing body's 211 member associations, intensifying an already tense standoff between the confederations and world football's governing body.
The request, delivered in a letter signed by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, marks the latest escalation in a dispute that has simmered since Infantino's now-abandoned plan to bring private equity into Fifa's commercial operations. That scheme, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise, would have established a separate company to oversee ticketing and commercial rights for all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup, with 21% of the new entity to be sold to an outside investment firm. The proposal collapsed within four days after fierce resistance from national federations.
According to the letter, seen by BBC Sport, Fifa is projected to finish the 2023-26 cycle holding roughly $6 billion in reserves — a sum the two confederation presidents argue far surpasses what is needed to fund operations through the 2030 men's World Cup. They are calling for Fifa to set aside at least $10 million per association across the 2027-30 cycle, specifically earmarked for infrastructure projects and football development initiatives. That would amount to a one-time release of $2.11 billion from reserves, on top of Fifa's existing funding commitments for the period.
The timing of the letter follows Infantino's own attempt to win support for the private equity plan by promising member associations $40 million each if they endorsed it, with a September 19 deadline for federations to sign on in order to unlock an initial $20 million payment.
Ceferin and Montagliani contend that their review of Fifa's public financial disclosures casts doubt on claims that the private equity structure was essential to generating additional revenue for the game. They stressed their figures were intentionally cautious, suggesting that once Fifa's year-end financial position is confirmed, the Fifa Council should weigh an even larger reserve distribution. The letter also calls for an independent audit of Fifa's finances, with full transparency around the underlying data and assumptions used.
"Fifa currently holds billions of dollars in accumulated reserves," the letter states. "These resources belong to football and exist to serve the game and its 211 member associations. 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 presidents further argued that unlocking part of the reserves would show that federations should not be forced into a trade-off between development funding and sound governance, or between financial assistance and their freedom to evaluate proposals independently. "Development is an institutional responsibility of Fifa – not a matter of individual discretion," the letter added.
A similar letter has reportedly been sent to the heads of the other four continental confederations — covering Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania — urging them to back the initiative.
The pressure on Infantino comes a day after Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, who also serves as a Fifa vice-president, wrote separately to Infantino and Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom demanding full disclosure of all documentation tied to the scrapped Fifa Forward Enterprise plan. Hewitt also requested a written explanation regarding the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. She has asked that all relevant materials be made available to the Fifa Council ahead of its next meeting on October 15.
Infantino, 56, is expected to seek a fourth term as Fifa president in elections scheduled for March, with potential rival candidates required to declare their intentions by November 18.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.