Gianni Infantino opens the door to bigger FIFA funding for member nations from its $6bn reserve

Gianni Infantino has opened the door to FIFA releasing more of its financial reserves to member associations after calls for a fresh injection of funding across world football.

The FIFA president has responded to proposals from UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Shaikh Salman.

They recently urged the governing body to redistribute more of its reported $6 billion reserves.

In a letter sent to all six confederation presidents and members of the FIFA Council, Infantino reportedly confirmed the proposals will be discussed at the next council meeting on October 15.

He stopped short of committing to a specific figure but signalled that he would support a substantial increase in funding if it can be delivered responsibly.

“I will not prejudge the amount,” Infantino wrote in the letter seen by The Athletic.

“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.”

He has instructed FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom to consolidate the various proposals into a single assessment before the October meeting.

The push follows a proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a venture designed to generate additional investment in football, that was abandoned after intense scrutiny.

Infantino insisted the withdrawn commercial proposal was to supplement FIFA’s existing support rather than replace money that could already be distributed.

One proposal from UEFA and CONCACAF calls for a direct allocation of reserves, including at least $10 million for every FIFA member association during the 2027-30 cycle.

Infantino has also asked the confederation presidents to provide financial models and supporting evidence so the proposals can be properly assessed.

The FIFA Council’s October meeting will test whether the governing body is actually prepared to deliver this redistribution and provide a concrete funding package.