Gianni Infantino makes new funding pledge to Fifa members

Gianni Infantino has made a new funding pledge to Fifa members in the fallout of his botched World Cup sell-off scheme . A letter seen by various publications was sent out to the six continental confederations on Monday, in which Infantino suggested more money could be distributed to national associations from its reserves. This followed calls from Uefa and Concacaf for a $2.1bn payout from the world football governing body, along with an independent review of Fifa’s reserves after Infantino tried to sell stakes in competitions including the World Cup to private investors under the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE). Infantino said he would support "the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered", with the proposal to be considered on 15 October when the Fifa Council meet. "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 added that any funding would be subject to financial checks and formal approval amid scrutiny of his governance. "Until the assessment and necessary approvals are complete, no preliminary figure can be treated as an approved commitment to the Member Associations," he wrote. Gianni Infantino has made a fresh funding pledge to Fifa members (Reuters) The Swiss-Italian also launched his latest defence of the failed FFE plan which has resulted in calls for his resignation, reiterating his intention was to generate additional income for the good of the game. He had given member associations an ultimatum in regards to potential funding, telling federation heads that they could miss out on $30m if they did not back his scheme. "The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable Fifa to invest more in football not to replace support that could responsibly be provided from existing resources," he added. "So, it would actually have been on top of it." Infantino is vying for re-election as Fifa president despite the torrent of criticism that has come his way, with the election to be held in March 2027. Additional reporting from Reuters