Infantino backs proposal for federation payments from FIFA

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is open to discussing the idea of the governing body distributing substantial funds to member associations, as revealed in a letter to the heads of the six confederations. Infantino expresses his willingness to endorse the highest level of additional funding that can be responsibly allocated through FIFA's proper governance process, while ensuring fairness and transparency.

However, he emphasizes that a specific figure cannot finalize the policy, and he has instructed the Secretary General to compile all submissions into a single assessment for the FIFA Council's consideration.

The proposal for federations to receive financial support has been proposed by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) President Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF's Victor Montagliani. Shield bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the head of the Asian Football Confederation, has also requested similar payments. This financial discussion comes at a time when UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC have called for Infantino to resign due to his plan to sell a significant portion of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed entity focused on the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA tournaments. The investors in FFE included Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, a close ally of Infantino.

Infantino has not resigned and intends to contest for re-election in March. With seven weeks left for candidates to declare their intention to oppose him, no challenger has emerged. If Infantino's FFE plan had been implemented, each member nation would have received a minimum of $20 million.