UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani have written to FIFA President Gianni Infantino calling for an independent review of FIFA's financial reserves, alongside a proposal to hand out $2.1 billion to the governing body's 211 member associations. The letter, dated Friday and seen by Reuters, marks the latest sign of tension over FIFA's abandoned plan to sell a stake in its competitions to outside investors.
That plan, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), had been pitched to member associations as a way to raise significantly more money for football development by bringing in outside investors. It was dropped after a backlash. Infantino is still expected to seek another term as FIFA president, though his opponents have so far struggled to find a challenger for the March 2027 vote.
Questioning the Need for the Deal
Ceferin and Montagliani, both FIFA vice-presidents, said their own analysis of FIFA's published financial statements and budgets raised doubts over whether the FFE transaction had even been necessary. "Our analysis now raises an important question as to whether the proposed transaction was necessary to deliver greater resources to the MAs," the letter said.
They pointed out that FIFA is on course to end the 2023-26 cycle with reserves of about $6 billion, which they called the largest in its history, arguing the organisation already has the capacity to distribute far more to national associations directly from its own balance sheet.
The $2.1 Billion Proposal
Under their plan, each member association would receive at least $10 million during the 2027-30 cycle, adding up to roughly $2.1 billion in total. That money would come on top of funding already committed through the existing FIFA Forward Programme, which would continue unchanged.
Ceferin and Montagliani said that even after releasing that sum, FIFA's reserves would not drop below about $1.5 billion at any point in the next cycle - around 50% higher than the minimum reserve level FIFA itself had budgeted for 2023-26.
Calling for Independent Scrutiny
The two acknowledged their figures were preliminary, mixing published results for 2022-25 with estimates for 2026 and assumptions for 2027-30. They want an independent review with full access to FIFA's underlying figures before any recommendations go through FIFA's governance process. Once FIFA's year-end financial position is clearer, they said, the FIFA Council could decide whether a larger distribution is possible and whether a similar payout should follow for 2031-34.
The letter framed the dispute in governance terms as well as financial ones, arguing that member associations shouldn't have to choose between receiving development funding and being able to scrutinise FIFA's proposals independently. "Development is an institutional responsibility of FIFA - not a matter of individual discretion," it said.
Ceferin and Montagliani proposed that the confederations jointly finish the analysis and agree on how much of FIFA's reserves should go straight to member associations, with recommendations put to the next FIFA Council meeting. They said they would also seek support from the presidents of the other four continental confederations. FIFA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
