FIFA's vice presidents from Europe and North America have told Gianni Infantino they want every one of the organisation's 211 member federations to receive an extra $10 million from FIFA's World Cup windfall. The demand, made in a letter sent Friday, is the latest move by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Concacaf leader Victor Montagliani as they try to force Infantino out of office, either before or at next March's FIFA presidential election.
According to the letter, seen by The Associated Press, FIFA should hold cash reserves of $6 billion after the recent World Cup, comfortably enough to afford what Ceferin and Montagliani call a "one-off release" worth $2.1 billion split across the federations. That figure stands in direct contrast to Infantino's own offer of $20 million per federation, made earlier this year to win support for his now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors led by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law.
That sell-off plan triggered a global backlash in July once it became public, and it appears to be the root of the current standoff. Ceferin and Montagliani's letter also makes clear that FIFA's previously committed funding of $20 million per federation through 2030 "would continue in full as already committed," seemingly an attempt to reassure member federations that leadership change would not cost them money.
Independent Review Sought Before Zurich Meeting
The two vice presidents have asked for a full and independent analysis of FIFA's finances ahead of an October 15 meeting in Zurich, which will help determine how much can responsibly be distributed to member federations. That gathering will feed into next month's FIFA Council meeting, the first since Infantino's private equity plan was exposed by press reports in late July, with Ceferin and Montagliani likely to play a central role.
The letter closes with a pointed line: "Lastly, please note we will be informing the other four confederation presidents to support this motion." FIFA has been approached for comment.
Support Split Across Confederations
Opposition to Infantino isn't limited to Europe and North America. The Asian Football Confederation has also criticised him in recent weeks. But South America's and Africa's governing bodies have stuck by him, and Infantino travelled to the Caribbean last month in an attempt to shore up backing among Concacaf's smaller members there, doing so despite Montagliani reportedly asking him not to make the trip.
The Road to a Contested Election
FIFA has set a November 18 deadline for candidates to enter the presidential race, with the vote to be decided four months later in Rabat, Morocco, a country closely aligned with Infantino and a co-host of the 2030 World Cup alongside UEFA members Spain and Portugal. Before the private equity controversy erupted, Infantino had looked on course for an unopposed re-election to a fourth and final term running through 2031.
It remains unclear who might step forward as a genuine rival. European soccer leaders are due to meet at a UEFA-hosted event ahead of the FIFA Council meeting, and speculation has repeatedly centred on Montagliani himself, as well as Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi, who sits on UEFA's executive committee and holds a position in the Qatari government. Neither man has publicly declared any intention to challenge Infantino, who continues to enjoy the backing of the Qatar Football Association.
UEFA's Legal Pressure in the U.S.
Away from the election battle, UEFA has separately asked courts in Manhattan and Florida to authorise the release of evidence connected to the abandoned $20 billion commercial spinoff, which was to be called FIFA Forward Enterprise. The requests target Kushner's New York investment firm and FIFA itself. UEFA said last month it is seeking documents and communications to support a potential criminal complaint against Infantino in Switzerland, FIFA's home country, over alleged financial mismanagement.
