UEFA and CONCACAF have increased pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino by calling for an independent examination of the organisation’s reserves and the distribution of more than $2bn (about €175bn) to its 211 member associations.
The proposal is contained in a letter sent to Infantino by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, according to Reuters, which has seen the document.
The two FIFA vice-presidents want every national association to receive at least $10m (just under €9m) during the 2027-2030 cycle. The combined figure would amount to almost €2bn, with the money intended to support areas including football infrastructure and development.
Their intervention follows the collapse of the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise plan. Infantino had proposed selling a stake in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to external investors in an attempt to raise additional funding for the development of football.
The plan faced significant resistance and was eventually withdrawn. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF were among those opposed to the proposal.
Ceferin and Montagliani are now questioning whether FIFA requires such a substantial financial structure at all. Their calculations suggest FIFA could complete the current cycle with reserves of around $6bn, which would be a record amount in the history of world football’s governing body.
They believe the reserves would still remain above $1.5bn during the next cycle even if the proposed payments were made. However, they want an independent investigation to be carried out first, allowing FIFA’s financial figures and underlying assumptions to be examined in detail.
Only after that review would the FIFA Council determine how much money could be transferred directly to member associations.
The two officials are also seeking backing from the presidents of the other four continental football confederations. Their support would strengthen the proposal before it is considered by FIFA’s governing structures.
The letter places the issue of FIFA’s reserves at the centre of a wider dispute over how the organisation should use its financial resources. It also represents a direct challenge to Infantino’s approach after the failure of FIFA Forward Enterprise, which had been presented as a way to secure further investment in football development.
The proposed payments would cover the 2027-2030 period, while the independent review would first assess whether FIFA’s projected reserves justify retaining funds on the scale currently envisaged.