UEFA and Concacaf press FIFA over US$2bn funding proposal
UEFA and Concacaf have proposed an immediate FIFA funding distribution of more than US$2bn, arguing that existing resources can support additional payments without selling stakes in the World Cup.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani have urged FIFA to make a one-off US$10m payment to each of its 211 member associations, arguing that the organisation can increase development funding while retaining substantial reserves.Their joint letter to Gianni Infantino, copied to FIFA Council members ahead of this week’s meeting in Zurich, challenges the financial rationale behind his abandoned proposal to sell a stake in a commercial vehicle managing the World Cup and other tournaments.Ceferin and Montagliani wrote: “We propose a prudent reserve of approximately USD 2.3 billion, representing one year of projected recurring expenditure.“This conservative approach would provide FIFA with substantial financial protection while avoiding the distortion created by treating exceptional tournament expenditure as recurring operating expenditure. In addition, with FIFA’s strong financial position, it could easily establish cheap lines of credit, which could be accessed if there is ever an unprecedented liquidity crunch.“Based on this analysis, our originally proposed $10m one-time distribution for each of FIFA’s 211 member associations, and now including the confederations and unions, is conservative and more than manageable.”Payments to the national associations alone would total US$2.11bn, with the proposal also recommending an additional US$36m for each of FIFA’s six confederations and US$3m for each regional union.The presidents argue that their proposed distribution could leave FIFA with approximately US$2.6bn in reserves, above the US$2.3bn buffer they recommend maintaining against projected recurring expenditure.Their assessment distinguishes ordinary operating costs from exceptional tournament expenditure, challenging how much cash FIFA needs to retain before releasing further resources to its members.The letter also presses for greater financial transparency and Council scrutiny following the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which would have involved selling a 20 per cent stake in a new body overseeing FIFA competitions.Ceferin and Montagliani continued: “As we are sure you are fully aware, there are many remaining questions regarding the FFE proposal which must be addressed in the council meeting.”Infantino had linked additional funding for member associations to support for the investment scheme, which reportedly involved Joshua Kushner as the lead investor in a proposed US$4.3bn transaction.FIFA withdrew the plan following international opposition, but the dispute has continued through questions about consultation, decision-making and the organisation’s financial priorities.The latest intervention seeks to separate the ambition to increase development payments from the proposed sale of commercial equity, presenting existing resources as sufficient to fund a substantial distribution.The presidents also want national associations to have a simpler route to accessing FIFA support, alongside more detailed financial analysis when major proposals are submitted to the Council.Their recommendations now place both the abandoned investment process and an alternative funding package before Council members, with any distribution still requiring FIFA’s consideration and approval.