Football's two most powerful continental blocs, Uefa and Concacaf, have publicly challenged Fifa president Gianni Infantino to unlock a significant portion of the governing body's financial reserves and channel it directly to national federations, rather than pursuing a controversial funding scheme that has already stalled.
In a letter sent to Infantino, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf's Victor Montagliani argued that Fifa's roughly $6bn reserve fund is more than sufficient to boost support for its 211 member associations without resorting to the now-abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise initiative. Their proposal calls for a one-time payment of at least $10m to each association during the 2027-2030 funding cycle, a package that would total approximately $2.1bn.
Crucially, the two leaders insist this sum should come on top of, not instead of, the existing Fifa Forward programme, which delivered roughly $8m to each federation over the last four-year period. According to their calculations, even after such a distribution, Fifa's reserves would still sit comfortably above $1.5bn, leaving room for potentially larger payouts later depending on the organization's year-end financial standing.
The letter draws on an independent analysis commissioned by Ceferin and Montagliani, which they say raises doubts about whether Fifa's earlier commercial scheme was ever truly necessary to boost funding for member associations. That original plan, Fifa Forward Enterprise, had offered federations up to $40m each, though half of that figure was contingent on associations opting into additional commercial arrangements with Fifa - a condition the two presidents appear keen to avoid.
"Our analysis indicates that Fifa should make at least $10million available to each of its 211 MAs over the 2027-30 cycle for investment in infrastructure and football development," the letter states, describing the proposal as a one-off release of reserves that would sit "over and above the approved Fifa Forward Programme, which would continue in full as already committed."
Ceferin and Montagliani framed their appeal not just as a financial matter but as a question of governance principle. They wrote that tapping into existing reserves would "demonstrate that MAs should not have to choose between development and good governance; between investment and integrity; or between financial support and the ability to consider proposals on their merits," adding that "development is an institutional responsibility of Fifa - not a matter of individual discretion."
The pair also stressed that Fifa already possesses the financial capacity to deliver far greater support to its members without needing to sell stakes in its competitions or place additional demands on federations in return.
Beyond their direct appeal to Infantino, Ceferin and Montagliani have reached out to the leadership of Asia's AFC, Africa's CAF, South America's Conmebol, and Oceania's OFC, seeking broader support for the initiative. Indications suggest AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa is likely to back the plan.
The proposal is expected to be formally discussed at Fifa's upcoming Council meeting on October 15, a gathering that will mark Infantino's first appearance before the organization's key decision-making body since a wave of controversy hit his presidency. Infantino has faced calls to step down but appears set to seek re-election in March, with no clear challenger having yet emerged.
Fifa has not yet issued a public response to the letter or the funding proposal.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.