FIFA president Gianni Infantino has told the leaders of Concacaf, UEFA and other confederations that he is open to providing more money from FIFA's reserves to each of its 211 member associations.
Concacaf President Victor Montagliani and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin had proposed FIFA distribute more of the $6 billion they believe the organization has in its reserves to its member associations. Their plan, they wrote, would lead to $10 million more for each member association in the 2027-2030 cycle.
That letter was followed by separate letters of support from Asian Football Confederation president Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Oceania Football Confederation president Lambert Maltock.
Now, Infantino says, he is in favor of aspects of the
proposal being taken to the FIFA Council at its October meeting.
"I welcome the constructive intent reflected in each of your letters. We may differ on the best route forward, but I have no doubt that each of us wants what is best for FIFA, its Member Associations and football," Infantino said in the letter, which was viewed by USA TODAY Sports.
"Trust is not the absence of disagreement," he continued. "It is demonstrated when we engage directly, test proposals against the facts and respect decisions properly reached through FIFA’s democratic and institutional processes – even when the outcome differs from the one we preferred."
Infantino has led soccer's governing body since February 2016 and plans to run for re-election in March 2027. He was widely expected to easily win but angered many stakeholders with a plan to invite private investment to take stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments.
The FIFA president addressed that proposal in the letter as well, saying the plan shared the same goals as the initiatives the confederation presidents are now advancing.
"The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football – not to replace support that could responsibly be provided from existing resources," the letter reads. "So, it would actually have been on top of it. Precisely because everything FIFA does and generates is for the benefit of its Member Associations."
In the letter, Infantino asks the confederation presidents to consolidate their ideas and send Mattias Grafström, FIFA's Secretary General, information so the FIFA Council is able to receive a recommendation on how much each member association should receive, how much money FIFA should keep in its reserves and what regulatory measures need to be in place going forward.
Any changes would need to be approved by the FIFA Council, which is set to meet Oct. 15 in Switzerland. The confederation presidents all sit on the FIFA Council, as do 29 other members, mostly the presidents of member associations.
Infantino is yet to draw a challenger for the FIFA presidency. The deadline for a candidate to declare and come forward with backing from at least five member associations is Nov. 18.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIFA's Infantino open to giving member nations more money
