Ceferin and Montagliani demand that Infantino

Ceferin and Montagliani demand that Infantino do

Why this is important

Ceferin and Montagliani's call for Infantino to review FIFA's financial reserves could have far-reaching implications for support for national associations. With a record $6,000 million, FIFA reserves are in focus as the presidents of UEFA and CONCACAF argue that these funds should be used responsibly to improve the associations' financial position. This could also affect the dynamics within FIFA and the upcoming elections.

Background

Gianni Infantino, as President of FIFA, has the responsibility to represent the interests of member associations. Ceferin and Montagliani's criticism could jeopardize his position within FIFA and his re-election chances in 2027, especially if opposition to his plans to privatize the World Cup intensifies.

Key findings

• Ceferin and Montagliani demand that Infantino.
• Aleksander Ceferin and Victor Montagliani have published a joint statement to Gianni Infantino in which they suggest a review of FIFA's financial reserves in order to increase support for national associations.
• Ceferin and Montagliani took part in Infantino who approved the reserves of FIFA.

In a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, as well as both FIFA Vice-Presidents, reiterated their displeasure with Infantino's plans to privatize the World Cup using money from investment funds. They are calling for FIFA's reserves to be reviewed in order to make more money available to all associations. The letter, which is also addressed to the presidents of the continental associations, asks Infantino to "consider together a matter that concerns the entire football family: what part of the financial reserves accumulated by FIFA could be responsibly released and made directly available to the member associations?" Ceferin and Montagliani, who is generating a certain consensus in UEFA that he will be the opposing candidate to Infantino in the elections of March 18, 2027 in Rabat, recall that FIFA is on the verge of ending a cycle of to be completed from 2023 to 2026, achieving reserves of approximately US$6,000 million. This total is a record in FIFA history. The presidents of UEFA and CONCACAF believe that these funds are "significantly in excess of the amounts necessary for FIFA to survive the years of deficits that follow a World Cup." Therefore, their argument to increase national associations' revenues is based on the fact that each of the 211 associations should receive "at least $10 million during the 2027-2030 cycle to invest in infrastructures and football development, which would total about $2,100 million." According to Ceferin and Montagliani's proposal, it would be a one-off release of reserves, while the approved FIFA Forward program would continue to function as intended. The calculations also take into account that "FIFA's reserves will not fall below USD 1,500 million at any time during the next cycle." This amount represents just over half of the minimum reserves envisaged by FIFA itself for the 2023-2026 cycle. The letter to Infantino also states that the Planteist approach is "deliberately conservative", i.e. carefully calculated, and is based on FIFA's published figures for 2022 to 2025 as well as estimates for 2026 and assumptions for the year 2027-2030 cycle, noting in particular that this information is not available to associations and that there must be an independent verification of the figures. Finally, Ceferin and Montagliani call on FIFA's member associations to "jointly prepare this analysis and agree on what amount from FIFA's reserves should be paid directly to the associations, with proposals for these payments being submitted to FIFA for approval." FIFA's elections, scheduled for March 18, 2027, do not have long until November 18 to present an opposition candidate. UEFA is expected to support a non-European candidate so as not to convey that the election is a duel between UEFA and FIFA.

What happens next

Infantino is now under pressure to respond to Ceferin and Montagliani's demands, particularly in view of the upcoming elections in March 2027. The discussion about the use of FIFA's reserves could lead to a wider debate within the football community, potentially influencing FIFA's future financial policies. It remains to be seen whether Infantino is willing to consider a review of reserves or whether he will stick to his plans.

Frequently asked questions

What do Ceferin and Montagliani demand from Infantino?

Ceferin and Mon tagliani are demanding that Infantino make better use of FIFA's reserves and make more money available to all associations.

Why are Ceferin and Montagliani expressing their displeasure now?

They are voicing their displeasure now that FIFA is close to reaching a record amount of about $6,000 million in reserves.

Who wrote the letter to Infantino?

The letter was written by Aleksander Ceferin, President of UEFA, and Victor Montagliani, President of CONCACAF.

What is the aim of Ceferin and Montagliani's demands?

The aim is for each of the 211 associations to receive at least $10 million to invest in infrastructure and football development.

What financial reserves has FIFA achieved?

FIFA has reached reserves of approximately $6,000 million, which is a record in FIFA history.

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