Bangla Press Desk: UEFA (the governing body of European football) and CONCACAF (the governing body for North and Central American football) have jointly proposed a new plan to provide additional funds to member nations without selling any portion of the World Cup's commercial rights or ownership.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani sent a joint letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, urging the immediate release of over $2 billion from FIFA's reserves to support football development in member countries.
The two organizations argue that distributing these funds from FIFA's own reserves is feasible without selling World Cup ownership or commercial rights to private investors. This move has further increased administrative pressure on Infantino.
Under the proposal, each of FIFA's 211 member nations would receive $10 million. Additionally, the six continental confederations would receive $36 million each, while regional bodies would be allocated $3 million each. According to calculations by UEFA and CONCACAF, FIFA would still retain a cash reserve of $2.6 billion after this distribution.
The heads of both organizations also expressed objections to FIFA's "FIFA Forward Enterprise" (FFE) plan. That plan proposed raising funds by selling a 20% stake in the commercial rights of various FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. Although Infantino spoke of providing extra funds to member nations, *The Times* reported that access to these funds was conditional upon supporting his plan.
Confederation chiefs criticized Infantino for formulating this plan without proper consultation with FIFA Council members. They maintain that additional support for football development in member nations can be provided from FIFA's existing funds, making the sale of World Cup commercial rights unnecessary.
The proposal for fund distribution and the organization's financial status are expected to be discussed at the upcoming FIFA Council meeting on October 15. Infantino has also shown interest in discussions regarding the allocation of additional funds to member countries. However, no final decision has yet been reached on the amount to be provided.
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