UEFA and Concacaf call for $10m FIFA payout for every nation
Every national association in world football should get at least $10 million from FIFA's savings, Europe and North America's leaders say.
UEFA and Concacaf have written jointly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to call for the one-off payment to all 211 member associations, according to BBC Sport. The letter is signed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani. Concacaf speaks for 41 member associations across North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The letter points to cash reserves. It says FIFA is on course to finish the 2023-26 cycle with reserves of around $6 billion. It proposes at least $10 million per association over the next 2027-30 cycle, ring-fenced for infrastructure and football development. That would cost $2.11 billion in total, on top of regular funding for the cycle.
What makes this stand out is what $10 million means away from the big leagues. For smaller nations, it could pay for pitches, training centres and youth programmes. Those are the building blocks behind every debut and every upset.
The demand follows the row over FIFA Forward Enterprise, known as FFE. FIFA had proposed putting commercial and ticketing rights for all its competitions, including the World Cups, into a new company and selling 21% to an investment firm. The plan was scrapped after four days following opposition from national associations. The business at the centre of the plan was previously reported to be valued at $20 billion, according to Reuters.
England's Football Association wants answers on how that plan emerged. Chair Debbie Hewitt has written to Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom asking for all documents linked to FFE to be released. Hewitt also wants the FIFA Council, the sport's global decision-making body, to receive a written explanation over the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
What happens next has dates attached. The next FIFA Council meeting is scheduled for 15 October. Infantino will stand for a fourth term as FIFA president in March. Any rival has until 18 November to enter the race.
For fans, this means boardroom politics with real grass-roots consequences. Money at this level helps decide who gets a decent pitch to learn the game. The response in October will tell clubs and countries how serious the proposal is.
