FIFA President Gianni Infantino ordered an evaluation of proposals to distribute more funds to national federations, following demands from the European Football Association (UEFA) and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football Associations (CONCACAF) to disburse $2.1 billion from the federation’s reserves, but he did not commit to a specific amount.
In a letter to the presidents of the six continental federations seen by Reuters on Monday, Infantino said that the evaluation would be presented to the FIFA Council on October 15, with any additional funding subject to financial examinations and official approval.
He wrote: “Until the evaluation is completed and the necessary approvals are obtained, any preliminary number presented cannot be considered an approved commitment to the member associations.”
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani proposed earlier this month that each of FIFA's 211 member associations would receive at least $10 million during the 2027-2030 cycle, in addition to already existing development funding. They also called for an independent review of FIFA's reserves.
Their letter, dated September 18, stated that questions were raised about whether the proposal abandoned by FIFA regarding private investment was necessary to increase financing, in light of expectations that reserves would reach about six billion dollars by the end of 2026. They indicated that the distribution proposed by them would keep reserves above $1.5 billion throughout the next cycle.
Infantino defended the justifications for the withdrawn commercial plan, saying it would have provided funding beyond what FIFA could distribute from its current resources.
He wrote: “The aim of the recent commercial proposal, which has now been withdrawn, was to enable FIFA to invest more in football, not to replace support that could be provided responsibly from existing resources. “So, he was actually going to come in addition to him.”
The FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative was abandoned in July after opposition from continental confederations, including UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, due to a lack of consultation. The dispute sparked demands for changes to FIFA's governance.
Infantino said that the FIFA administration was already studying how to provide more development and solidarity funding before receiving the proposals of the continental federations.
He asked the presidents of the continental federations to send their financial models, assumptions and supporting information to the Secretary-General, with the relevant FIFA committees participating in verifying those assumptions.
He said the Council should determine the size and timing of any additional payments, the size of the reserves needed to protect FIFA's obligations and financial independence, in addition to the eligibility requirements and reporting and auditing requirements associated with any distribution of funds.
He added that the evaluation would also take into account support for continental federations facing demonstrable structural costs.
He noted that if sufficient evidence is available, the council should receive a recommendation on October 15. If that evidence is not available, he must agree to the “shortest reasonable timetable” to complete the work.
Infantino wrote: “I will not pre-empt the determination of the amount. “I will support the greatest level of additional funding that can be provided responsibly through FIFA’s sound governance process, applied fairly and supported by transparent and auditable arrangements.”
He also renewed his call to submit proposals aimed at strengthening FIFA's decision-making mechanisms, while urging the presidents of the continental federations to respect the decisions reached through approved institutional procedures.
“Trust does not mean the absence of disagreement,” he wrote. “It is evident when we engage in direct dialogue, test proposals in light of the facts, and respect decisions that are properly reached through FIFA’s democratic and institutional processes, even when the outcome differs from the one we would have preferred.”
The Italian national team achieved a major victory over its Turkish host, 4-1, on Monday, in the second round of Group A in the first level of the European Nations League.
The Italian national team succeeded in achieving its first victory under the leadership of its coach, Roberto Mancini, who returned to assume the position of technical director this summer after his controversial departure in 2023, and he had begun his second term with a defeat at home in Rome against Belgium 2-0.
The Italian national team obtained the first three points in its journey in the group, to occupy third place, while the Turkish national team suffered its second defeat in a row, after it had started its campaign with a loss at home to France 1-0.
Italy took the lead in the ninth minute through Alessandro Bastoni, then his teammate David Fratesi added the second goal in the 22nd minute.
In the 27th minute, Michael Kayode scored the third goal for Italy, while Baris Yilmaz scored Türkiye's only goal in the 47th minute.
The Italian team returned to score the fourth goal in the 50th minute through Pio Esposito, who started alongside his brother Sebastiano Esposito, in a precedent that had not happened since the participation of the brothers Filippo and Simone Inzaghi with the “Azzuri” in 2000.
In another match in the same round, the French team defeated its Belgian host in the final minutes of the match.
In the French national team's second official match with its new coach, Zinedine Zidane, the team succeeded in achieving its second victory under the leadership of its former star, after it had won in the first round over Turkey 1-0.
Thus, the French national team raised its score to six points in first place, and the Belgium national team comes behind it with three points.
Michael Oliset scored the only goal for the French national team in the 88th minute through a wonderful individual effort.
