FIFA: "Ambition is welcome": Gianni Infantino ready to redistribute more to the federations

On Monday, Gianni Infantino sent a letter to the presidents of the various confederations, opening the door to a wider distribution of funds from FIFA's reserves. This is a major development just months before the presidential election within the governing body and on the eve of the EFC congress, the European clubs' union, in Copenhagen.

A crucial letter. On Monday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino sent a lengthy letter to the six presidents of FIFA's member confederations, including two of the organization's most vocal opponents: Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA President, and Victor Montagliani, CONCACAF President. In this document, seen by RMC Sport, Infantino addresses recent remarks made by the presidents of some confederations regarding the redistribution of FIFA's revenue. In early September, Ceferin and Montagliani informed FIFA's leadership that the organization owed "at least $10 million" to each of its 211 member federations, due to the significant profits generated between 2023 and 2026. The FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15 (the first since the abandonment of the commercial enterprise project) should shed more light on this matter.

"The responsible use of FIFA's existing resources and the creation of additional long-term value are complementary. The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, aimed to allow FIFA to invest more in football – not to replace support that could be provided responsibly from existing resources. Thus, it would have actually been redundant. Precisely because everything FIFA does and generates benefits its member associations," Infantino explains in the document seen by RMC Sport, before indicating that he has asked the organization's Secretary General to gather all the suggestions.

According to Gianni Infantino, the FIFA council will then have to establish "the amount and timing of any additional direct support to member associations"; "the prudent reserve level needed to protect FIFA's obligations, financial soundness and independence (...) and the eligibility, implementation, reporting and audit mechanisms needed to ensure lasting and sustainable benefits for football".

"Until the necessary assessments and approvals are complete, no preliminary figure can be considered an approved commitment to the member associations. I will not prejudge the amount. I will support the highest possible level of additional funding responsibly through FIFA's appropriate governance process, applied fairly and supported by transparent and auditable mechanisms," Gianni Infantino added in his letter to the presidents of the six confederations. He further stated: "Ambition is welcome."

"Trust is not the absence of disagreement."

In this document, Gianni Infantino takes the opportunity to outline his vision for FIFA. "As stated in my recent letter to all member associations, I am also proposing a structured and time-bound consultation on how FIFA's decision-making can be strengthened. I invite each of you to submit further proposals in this process. Where the approval of member associations is required, the member associations must decide," he adds. He continues: "We may disagree on the best way forward, but I have no doubt that each of us wants what is best for FIFA, its member associations, and football. Trust is not the absence of disagreement. It is demonstrated when we engage directly, test proposals against the facts, and respect decisions properly made through FIFA's democratic and institutional processes – even when the outcome differs from what we would have preferred."

Gianni Infantino concludes his letter with several messages of unity: "These processes belong to all 211 member associations. It is our collective responsibility to respect and protect them. Let us approach this work in a spirit of unity, mutual respect, and shared responsibility. I am convinced that together we can achieve a sustainable and properly supported outcome for FIFA's member associations and for football in all regions of the world. FIFA also belongs to all 211 member associations. Football is for everyone, everywhere. These principles must continue to guide us all. I look forward to continuing to work with you all for a united and stronger future." Currently, FIFA's reserve fund is valued at €6 billion.