Infantino Proposes Multi-Million Dollar Payouts to Federations Amid Re-election Campaign

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has signaled a willingness to distribute millions of dollars to the organization’s member associations as he campaigns for re-election to the post he has held for a decade amid mounting opposition.

The scale of the proposed distributions is slated for discussion at the FIFA Council meeting on October 15, according to a letter Infantino addressed to the heads of the six regional confederations, as reported by U.S. media outlets on Monday.

“I will not prejudge the amount,” Infantino wrote, according to reports. “I will support the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered through FIFA’s proper governance process, applied fairly and supported by transparent and auditable arrangements. The ambition is welcome. The financial evidence, governance and implementation must now support it.”

“A single figure can begin the discussion, but it cannot complete a global policy. I have therefore instructed the Secretary General to consolidate all submissions into one integrated assessment for consideration by the FIFA Council.”

The initiative is widely viewed as Infantino’s latest effort to appease regional football bodies and their leaders in a bid to retain his position as the sport’s most powerful administrator.

Earlier this month, the 56-year-old confirmed his candidacy amid widespread criticism of his leadership and the looming threat of legal challenges.

Infantino has faced stiff resistance since the fallout over his proposed plan to sell approximately 20 percent of a new entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would control the commercial and operational aspects of the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments.

Although the Swiss-Italian has dominated world football for the past ten years, he has increasingly lost support from regional confederations and national associations. Last month, he appeared to be employing every available lever to secure his position despite growing calls for his removal and broad disapproval of his strategic direction.

On Friday, the English Premier League and three other top European leagues—La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga—jointly demanded governance reform at FIFA.

Their statement accused Infantino of actively promoting “exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them.”

He is regarded as a divisive figure in international football; his close ties to powerful global leaders and his drive to maximize revenue are viewed by critics as a threat to the game’s integrity.

With fewer than six months until the presidential election, Infantino appears to be losing ground among his traditional base of support.

FIFA statutes limit presidents to three four-year terms. However, in 2022, Infantino successfully argued that his initial term—which began when he was elected at an extraordinary FIFA Congress in 2016 following Sepp Blatter’s resignation—should not count toward that limit because it completed an interrupted mandate.

His plan to run for a fourth term has drawn scrutiny from critics and rights groups, who have petitioned FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) to block his candidacy.

The financial discussions follow demands from UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for Infantino to resign over the FFE proposal.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani recently wrote to FIFA requesting payments similar to those Infantino outlined. AFC President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa made a comparable request, according to reports.

Among the prospective investors in FFE was Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Infantino.

Infantino subsequently abandoned the private equity plan but has refused to step down, confirming his intention to stand for re-election in March. With seven weeks remaining for potential challengers to declare their candidacy, no opponent has yet emerged.

Had the FFE plan proceeded, each member nation stood to receive at least $20 million. The joint letter from UEFA and CONCACAF reportedly requests a minimum of $10 million per member association from FIFA’s reserves.

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