Infantino pledges new Fifa funding after botched World Cup sell-off scheme drew resignation calls

Gianni Infantino has pledged new funding to Fifa member associations in the aftermath of his failed scheme to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors, with the proposal set to be considered at the Fifa Council meeting on 15 October.

A letter sent to the six continental confederations on Monday, seen by various publications, outlined Infantino’s support for “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered” from Fifa’s existing reserves. The move follows calls from Uefa and Concacaf for a $2.1bn payout from the governing body, as well as demands for an independent review of Fifa’s finances after the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan was withdrawn.

Infantino stopped short of naming a specific figure, writing: “A single figure can begin the discussion, but it cannot complete a global policy.” He added that any distribution would be subject to financial checks and formal approval, cautioning that “no preliminary figure can be treated as an approved commitment to the Member Associations” until those processes are complete.

The FFE scheme, which sought to raise capital by selling commercial rights to competitions including the World Cup, collapsed amid fierce opposition and prompted calls for Infantino’s resignation. The Fifa president had previously issued member associations an ultimatum, warning that federations which did not back the plan risked missing out on $30m in funding.

In the letter, Infantino defended the original intent of the proposal, arguing it was designed to generate income on top of existing support rather than as a replacement for it. “The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable Fifa to invest more in football not to replace support that could responsibly be provided from existing resources,” he wrote.

Infantino is seeking re-election as Fifa president at a vote scheduled for March 2027, and the funding pledge is widely seen as an attempt to rebuild goodwill among member associations after the governance controversy surrounding the FFE.