Two continental football federations, UEFA and CONCACAF, on Friday called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to release around $2.1 billion from the global governing body\u2019s reserves to share among its 211 member associations.<\/p>\n
A letter sent to Infantino by European football chief Aleksander Ceferin and his counterpart at the North and Central American and Caribbean body, Victor Montagliani, said each of FIFA\u2019s member associations (MAs) should receive $10 million in the four years between 2027-2030.<\/p>\n
The move is the latest twist in the civil war which erupted in world football after it emerged Infantino sought to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.<\/p>\n
The incendiary proposal was short-lived after a fierce backlash across the sport, with European governing body UEFA threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions until the plan was shelved.<\/p>\n
Infantino has said the venture was designed to raise capital for football across the world.<\/p>\n
But Ceferin and Montagliani\u2019s letter, sent on Friday and obtained by AFP, said FIFA\u2019s vast cash reserves \u2014 estimated at around $6 billion \u2014 could be used to boost funding for the sport without outside investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cFIFA already has the capacity to deliver substantially more to its MAs from its own balance sheet \u2013 without any sale of interests in its competitions, and without asking anything of the MAs in return,\u201d the letter read.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur analysis indicates that FIFA should make at least $10 million available to each of its 211 MAs over the 2027-30 cycle for investment in infrastructure and football development \u2013 an aggregate of approximately USD 2.1 billion,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
The letter said the \u201cone-off\u201d release of funds would be in addition to the annual development funding already distributed to FIFA members, which under Infantino has increased to $8 million per country over a four-year cycle.<\/p>\n
The UEFA and CONCACAF letter said they would issue recommendations for disbursements at the next FIFA Council meeting.<\/p>\n
The letter comes a day after England\u2019s Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt wrote to Infantino requesting a full disclosure of information relating to the ill-fated private equity plan.<\/p>\n
Hewitt has also called for the release of documents relating to the decision to suspend a ban handed to United States striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, which followed a phone call from US President Donald Trump to Infantino.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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