FIFA president Gianni Infantino has told the leaders of Concacaf, UEFA and other confederations that he is open to providing more money from FIFA's reserves to each of its 211 member associations.
The move follows a proposal from Concacaf President Victor Montagliani and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who had suggested FIFA distribute more of the $6 billion they believe the organization holds in reserves to its member associations. Their plan, as they wrote, would deliver $10 million more for each member association in the 2027-2030 cycle. That letter was followed by separate letters of support from Asian Football Confederation president Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Oceania Football Confederation president Lambert Maltock.
Infantino now says he is in favor of aspects of the proposal being taken to the FIFA Council at its October meeting. "I welcome the constructive intent reflected in each of your letters. We may differ on the best route forward, but I have no doubt that each of us wants what is best for FIFA, its Member Associations and football," Infantino said in the letter, which was viewed by USA TODAY Sports.
"Trust is not the absence of disagreement," he continued. "It is demonstrated when we engage directly, test proposals against the facts and respect decisions properly reached through FIFA's democratic and institutional processes - even when the outcome differs from the one we preferred."
Infantino has led FIFA since February 2016 and plans to run for re-election in March 2027. He was widely expected to win easily but angered many stakeholders with a plan to invite private investment to take stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments.
The FIFA president addressed that withdrawn proposal in the same letter, saying it shared the same goals as the initiatives the confederation presidents are now advancing. "The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football - not to replace support that could responsibly be provided from existing resources," the letter reads. "So, it would actually have been on top of it. Precisely because everything FIFA does and generates is for the benefit of its Member Associations."
In the letter, Infantino asks the confederation presidents to consolidate their ideas and send information to Mattias Grafström, FIFA's Secretary General, so the FIFA Council can receive a recommendation on how much each member association should get, how much money FIFA should keep in reserves, and what regulatory measures need to be in place going forward.
Any changes would need approval from the FIFA Council, which is set to meet on October 15 in Switzerland. The confederation presidents all sit on the FIFA Council, alongside 29 other members, mostly the presidents of member associations.
Infantino has yet to draw a challenger for the FIFA presidency. The deadline for a candidate to declare, with backing from at least five member associations, is November 18.
