FIFA to offer members US$6.35 billion development fund windfall

PARIS – Football’s world governing body FIFA is planning to set up a US$6.35 billion (S$8.1 billion) development fund for the next four years, AFP learnt on Oct 14 from a source close to the matter.

The plan was due to be approved at its council meeting on Oct 15 in Zurich, where FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the 36 other members of the federation’s executive gathered.

To finance the development fund for the 2026 to 2030 period, which would allow money to be distributed to FIFA’s 211 federations and to the regional confederations, it would draw in part on its financial reserves after a commercially successful 2026 World Cup.

The plan, first revealed by the Associated Press, would allow for the payment of US$25 million to each of its 211 member federations.

This is far more than the US$10 million called for by two of Infantino’s chief critics, Aleksander Ceferin, the boss of the European confederation UEFA, and Victor Montagliani, the head of North America, Central America and the Caribbean confederation CONCACAF.

The gathering was the first such meeting since April 28 and came amid a crisis in the governance of world football, following Infantino’s announcement in the summer of his desire to open FIFA’s premium competitions, such as the World Cup, to private investors.

That plan was ultimately abandoned after widespread criticism from the football world, with a rebellion led by UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.

At the end of September, Infantino launched a consultation process with the federations to reform how the global body operates, announcing that the first proposals could be examined as early as the council meeting.

The 56-year-old, who has headed FIFA since 2016, is running for re-election in March 2027.

His opponents have so far failed to agree on a candidate.

Ceferin has chosen to stand for a new term at the helm of UEFA and, according to several media outlets, Montagliani is expected to do the same at CONCACAF.

The deadline for submitting candidatures is Nov 18.

Separately, FIFA is changing its rules to prevent a repeat of the outcry sparked by the reversal of Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban at the summer World Cup, ESPN reported on Oct 14.

FIFA’s disciplinary committee overturned the US forward’s red card and mandatory one-match suspension, allowing him to play in a round-of-16 match on July 6 against Belgium, who won 4-1.

He received a direct red card in a round-of-32 match on July 1 for a foul on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic. The US went on to win 2-0 with 10 men, and Balogun was suspended for the next game.

The controversy deepened when US President Donald Trump admitted he had personally asked Infantino to review the penalty.

The FIFA chief has claimed the disciplinary committee’s decision was made without his involvement.

At the 37-member FIFA council meeting on Oct 15, a motion to prohibit such suspensions of one-match bans in the future would be at the top of the agenda, according to ESPN.

Even if FIFA amends the rule, the Balogun controversy is not likely to disappear.

FIFA vice-president Debbie Hewitt is among the sport’s leaders who have asked Infantino to release all documents related to the case. AFP, REUTERS