Gianni Infantino suggested that a larger sum could be allocated to FIFA’s member associations from the organization’s estimated £4.4 billion cash reserves.
In a letter viewed by BBC Sport and sent on Monday to FIFA’s six continental confederations, President Infantino stated he would back ‘the highest level of additional funding that can be responsibly provided’.
Infantino faces mounting criticism following the collapse of his FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative, which had sought to sell stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors, provoking significant backlash.
The letter follows a demand from UEFA and CONCACAF — the governing bodies for Europe and for North America, Central America and the Caribbean — that FIFA distribute $10 million (approximately £7.5 million) to each of its 211 member associations from its reserves.
The proposal is slated for discussion at the FIFA Council meeting on 15 October.
‘I will not pre‑empt the figure,’ Infantino wrote in the letter.
‘A single number can start the conversation, but it cannot alone shape a worldwide policy.’
Infantino once again defended the abandoned plan to sell a portion of the World Cup’s commercial rights — a proposal that had prompted calls for his resignation — insisting it was designed to raise extra funds for football.
‘The recent commercial proposal, which has since been withdrawn, was meant to allow FIFA to invest more in the sport,’ noted the Swiss‑Italian official.
Earlier this month, Football Association chairman Debbie Hewitt, who also serves as a FIFA vice‑president, urged Infantino to disclose all documents pertaining to the contentious plan and demanded an independent review of the FFE initiative.
Infantino is set to run for a fourth term in March 2027, giving his challengers until 18 November to nominate an alternative candidate.
