In the corridors of FIFA’s Zurich headquarters, the debate over how football’s global revenues return to its member associations is moving onto the formal agenda. Gianni Infantino has indicated that he is prepared to consider distributing millions of dollars in additional funding, with the issue due before the FIFA Council on 15 October.
Member funding placed before the FIFA Council
In a letter sent to the presidents of FIFA’s six continental confederations, Infantino said the level of payments to national associations would be examined at the October meeting. He did not commit to a figure, but signalled support for the largest increase that can be approved responsibly.
- Any extra funding, Infantino said, must pass through FIFA’s established governance procedures.
- He called for equal treatment across the member associations.
- The proposed distribution system would need transparent and auditable safeguards.
- FIFA’s Secretary General has been instructed to combine the various proposals into one overall assessment for the Council.
Infantino’s message was cautious on the sums involved. “I will not prejudge the amount,” he wrote, while adding that ambition must be matched by financial information, governance standards and a credible plan for delivery.
Pressure from the confederations
The funding discussion follows approaches from several of the bodies representing football across the continents. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani have written to FIFA seeking payments of the kind now under consideration. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who leads the Asian Football Confederation, is also reported to have made a comparable request.
The issue carries added weight because it has emerged amid a broader disagreement over FIFA’s commercial plans. UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC have called for Infantino to resign in connection with a proposal involving FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE.
Commercial proposal at the centre of the dispute
FFE is envisaged as a new organisation handling commercial and operational elements of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. The plan would involve selling roughly 20 per cent of the proposed entity.
That proposal prompted the three confederations to demand Infantino’s departure, turning a discussion about tournament commercial rights into a wider argument over oversight, decision-making and the way FIFA’s income should be shared among national associations.
The 15 October Council meeting will therefore bring together two connected questions: how much more funding FIFA can provide to its members, and whether the governing body can secure sufficient confidence in the financial controls surrounding its expanding commercial operations.
