UEFA and CONCACAF have called on FIFA to distribute at least $10m to each of its 211 member associations from its accumulated reserves for the 2027-30 cycle.
According to BBC Sport, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani made the demand in a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, arguing that the governing body was financially strong enough to make the one-off payment.
The proposed distribution would cost FIFA about $2.11bn and would come on top of the organisation’s regular funding for the 2027-30 cycle.
The two confederation presidents said FIFA was “on course to close 2023-26 with reserves of approximately $6bn,” which they described as “considerably more than is required” through to the 2030 World Cup.
Ceferin and Montagliani also questioned the need for FIFA’s controversial Forward Enterprise proposal, saying their review of the governing body’s published financial statements and budgets raised doubts about whether the plan was necessary to increase funding for football associations.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal would have established a new company to oversee the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
About 21 per cent of the company was proposed to be sold to an investment firm.
However, the plan was withdrawn four days after its announcement following widespread opposition from national associations.
“FIFA should make at least $10m available to each of its 211 member associations over the 2027-30 cycle,” the letter said, adding that the funds should go towards “investment in infrastructure and football development.”
The UEFA and CONCACAF presidents also requested an independent examination of FIFA’s finances, saying the review should have “full access to the underlying figures and assumptions.”
“FIFA currently holds billions of dollars in accumulated reserves,” they wrote.
“These resources belong to football and exist to serve the game and its 211 member associations.”
They added, “Prudence should not prevent a careful examination of whether a portion could responsibly be released to the extent those reserves exceed FIFA’s foreseeable needs.”
The pair further argued that funding for development should be an institutional responsibility of FIFA rather than being left to individual discretion.
“Development is an institutional responsibility of FIFA, not a matter of individual discretion,” Ceferin and Montagliani said.
The latest demand comes amid continuing disagreement over the Forward Enterprise proposal and FIFA’s financial governance.
The two presidents have also written to the leaders of the other four confederations — the Asian Football Confederation, Confederation of African Football, South American Football Confederation and Oceania Football Confederation — seeking their backing for the proposed distribution.
The development follows a separate letter from Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt to Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, in which she requested documents concerning the Forward Enterprise plan.
Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, also asked the FIFA Council to receive a written explanation over the cancellation of the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
FIFA’s next Council meeting is scheduled for October 15.
Infantino is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president at the March election, while potential challengers have until November 18 to nominate an alternative candidate.
