Infantino signals support for larger payouts from Fifa's £4.4bn reserves
September 29, 2026 02:10
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has indicated a greater sum could be distributed to Fifa members from the organisation’s estimated £4.4bn cash reserves. In a letter seen by BBC Sport and sent on Monday to the six continental confederations, Infantino said he would support "the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered".
CONTEXT
The comment follows a backlash over Infantino’s aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which proposed selling stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors. Infantino defended the withdrawn proposal in the letter, writing: "The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable Fifa to invest more in football."
His letter arrives after Uefa and Concacaf demanded Fifa pays $10m (£7.5m) to each of the body's 211 members from the reserves. Infantino added that "A single figure can begin the discussion, but it cannot complete a global policy."
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The proposal for additional payments will be considered by the Fifa Council when it meets on 15 October.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
Earlier this month, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, told Infantino to release all documents relating to the FFE plan and called for an independent review of the initiative. Infantino is due to stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027; potential opponents have until 18 November to register an alternative candidate.