FIFA President Gianni Infantino has broken his silence following widespread backlash over his scrapped private investor proposal, breaking ranks to throw his support behind distributing a portion of FIFA’s £4.4 billion in cash reserves to the governing body’s 211 global member associations.
The proposal comes after months of mounting pressure on Infantino, triggered by the abrupt collapse of his Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, which would have sold stakes in the World Cup and other top FIFA competitions to private investors. The plan sparked immediate and fierce condemnation from football governing bodies across multiple continents, leading to its swift withdrawal and growing calls for Infantino’s resignation.
In a confidential letter sent to FIFA’s six continental confederations on Monday and obtained by BBC Sport, Infantino stated he backs “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered” from the organization’s existing reserves. The president’s letter is a direct response to a joint demand from UEFA (European football’s governing body) and CONCACAF (the confederation representing North America, Central America and the Caribbean) calling for a $10 million (around £7.5 million) distribution to every FIFA member, to be drawn from FIFA’s current cash reserves.
Infantino stopped short of endorsing a specific total in the letter, noting that “a single figure can begin the discussion, but it cannot complete a global policy.” He also reaffirmed his original justification for the withdrawn FFE scheme, arguing that the plan was designed to generate more revenue to invest back into global football development. “The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football,” Infantino wrote in the letter.
Criticism of the FFE scheme has continued to grow in recent weeks. Debbie Hewitt, chair of the Football Association (FA) and a FIFA vice-president, earlier this month called on Infantino to release all internal documents related to the controversial plan and pushed for an independent third-party review of the aborted initiative.
The distribution proposal will go before the FIFA Council for formal consideration when the governing body’s top decision-makers meet on October 15. Looking ahead, Infantino already confirmed he will stand for a fourth term as FIFA president in elections scheduled for March 2027. Potential challengers have until mid-November to declare their candidacy and secure the required backing to run against the incumbent, who was first elected to the role back in 2016.