In Zurich, FIFA’s expanding World Cup reserves have become the centre of a widening political contest. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani have proposed a one-off payment of $10 million to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations, seeking to show that additional money can reach national federations without the private-investment plan championed by Gianni Infantino.
A $2.1 billion proposal before the FIFA Council
Čeferin and Montagliani set out their plan in a letter sent to the FIFA president on Friday. They argue that FIFA will hold cash reserves of about $6 billion after the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, leaving room for a special distribution worth $2.1 billion in total.
- Each of FIFA’s 211 member associations would receive an additional $10 million.
- The payment would come from FIFA’s accumulated reserves after the World Cup.
- The two confederation leaders have asked for a full independent examination of FIFA’s finances before the FIFA Council meets in Zurich on 15 October.
- They say that review is needed to establish, responsibly, how much can be released to member associations.
The letter also underlines that FIFA’s existing commitment of $20 million for every member association through 2030 would remain intact. In effect, the message to voting federations is that funding would rise even if Infantino, FIFA president since 2016, does not remain in office.
Čeferin and Montagliani said they would take the motion to the presidents of FIFA’s other four confederations in an effort to build wider backing.
Private investment dispute changes the election climate
The financial offer arrives after broad resistance in July to Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in a tournament venture to private investors. That project, valued at $20 billion and called FIFA Forward Enterprise, was linked to an investor group led by Joshua Kushner.
Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former United States president Donald Trump. Infantino had developed close ties with Trump ahead of the North American World Cup, including repeated White House visits.
Infantino’s unsuccessful investment proposal had envisaged payments of $20 million for each national association. The new $10 million suggestion is therefore being viewed as a competing financial promise directed at the same 211 associations that will elect FIFA’s next president.
UEFA and CONCACAF are pursuing Infantino’s removal either before, or during, the coming presidential process. The FIFA Council meeting on 15 October will be its first gathering since the private-investment scheme emerged publicly at the end of July, with Čeferin and Montagliani expected to play prominent roles.
Confederations divide as Rabat vote approaches
FIFA has set 18 November as the deadline for presidential candidates to submit their entries. The vote is scheduled for four months later in Rabat, Morocco, a country closely aligned with Infantino and a co-host of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, both UEFA members.
- The Asian Football Confederation has adopted an increasingly critical position toward Infantino in recent weeks.
- South American and African football bodies have supported the incumbent.
- Infantino travelled to the Caribbean last month to reinforce support among CONCACAF members, despite Montagliani having asked him not to make the trip.
After a highly profitable World Cup, Infantino had appeared likely to secure an uncontested fourth and final term, which would run until 2031. The investment dispute has made that outcome less certain, although no challenger has formally entered the contest.
Montagliani and Nasser al-Khelaifi, the Canadian head of CONCACAF and the Qatari president of Paris Saint-Germain, have both been mentioned as possible alternatives. Al-Khelaifi is also a member of Qatar’s government and UEFA’s executive committee. Neither man has declared an intention to run, while the Qatar Football Association has publicly supported Infantino.
UEFA seeks US court access to documents
Alongside the political campaign, UEFA has sought permission from courts in Manhattan and Florida to obtain evidence from Kushner’s New York investment firm and from FIFA itself concerning the FIFA Forward Enterprise project.
UEFA said last month that it wanted documents and communications for a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland, where FIFA is based. The contemplated case would concern alleged financial mismanagement by Infantino.
