By Amaechi Agbo

Embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino has signaled a willingness to tap into the organization’s £4.4 billion cash reserves to increase funding for member nations as pressure mounts for his resignation from UEFA and other regional confederations.

The backlash follows the collapse of the highly controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, a plan to privatise the World Cup by selling a minority commercial stake to outside private equity investors. The blueprint sparked intense outrage, leading European football’s governing body, UEFA, to lead a fierce campaign demanding that Infantino step down.

Backed by its 55 member associations, UEFA threatened to boycott future FIFA competitions if the privatization proceeded and publicly declared it had lost all confidence in his leadership. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin strongly rebuked the initiative, stating that “the trust it broke has not returned” and declaring that “football is not for sale.” European countries are also moving to aggressively force his departure by withdrawing their formal letters of endorsement ahead of the FIFA presidential election.

To counter Infantino’s traditional leverage of securing votes via development funds, UEFA and CONCACAF jointly stepped up the financial pressure. They demanded that FIFA distribute $10 million (£7.5 million) directly from its reserves to each of the 211 member associations for the 2027–2030 cycle.

In a letter sent to the continental confederations, Infantino effectively yielded to the scrutiny, stating he would back “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered.” However, he stopped short of confirming the full $10 million payout, noting that he will not prejudge final amounts before the FIFA Council formally reviews the proposal. Despite calls for his resignation and further pushback from Europe’s biggest domestic leagues, Infantino continues to defend his actions and insists he will stand for a fourth term.

“I will not prejudge the amount,” Infantino said in the letter. “A single figure can begin the discussion, but it cannot complete a global policy.”

Infantino issued his latest defence of the failed proposal to sell a slice of the World Cup commercial rights that brought calls for his resignation, again claiming it had been intended to generate additional money for the game.

“The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable Fifa to invest more in football,” wrote the Swiss-Italian.

Earlier this month, Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, a Fifa vice-president, told Infantino to release all documents relating to his controversial plan, and called for an independent review of FFE.

Infantino will stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027, with his opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate.