Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, has intensified calls for Fifa to distribute a portion of its substantial cash reserves to its member associations ahead of the organisation’s upcoming council meeting. In a letter addressed to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, Sheikh Salman urged the governing body to review its financial reserves and consider allocating part of the funds to national football associations worldwide.

This move follows similar demands from two other Fifa vice-presidents: Aleksander Ceferin, president of Uefa, and Victor Montagliani, president of Concacaf. Together, the three officials have proposed distributing approximately $2.1 billion—roughly one-third of Fifa’s current $6 billion reserves—to the 211 member associations, which would amount to around $10 million per association.

Sheikh Salman emphasized that Fifa’s commercial success, especially the exceptional revenue generated by the 2026 World Cup, should ultimately benefit football’s global development. He called on the Fifa council meeting scheduled for October 15 in Zurich to either make a definitive decision on how to allocate the excess reserves or, at minimum, establish a clear process and timeline for reviewing and approving such distributions.

The combined pressure from these powerful Fifa vice-presidents appears aimed at ensuring that any financial support to member associations is managed transparently and equitably, reducing the possibility that Infantino might use increased payments to garner support ahead of the presidential election scheduled for March 2027.

Further controversy surrounds Infantino’s previous plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors through a proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme. That initiative was ultimately abandoned following criticism, including revelations that Infantino had linked additional financial support to associations’ backing of the scheme. The scheme’s proposal, rather than a formal decision, became public prematurely, which Infantino acknowledged caused concern and confusion about Fifa’s decision-making processes.

In response to the mounting pressure, Infantino has not directly agreed to distribute the reserves but has offered to commission an independent external review of Fifa’s governance framework concerning major strategic initiatives. He proposed a consultation on the roles and responsibilities within Fifa’s leadership bodies to enhance transparency, accountability, and participation, though he has declined calls to review the now-shelved FFE scheme itself. Debbie Hewitt, chairwoman of the English Football Association and a Fifa vice-president, had strongly advocated for such a review.

Infantino characterized the FFE scheme as a proposal that was made public ahead of the formal institutional process and before full presentation to the council and member associations. He acknowledged the premature disclosure created misunderstandings about the scheme’s status but maintained that no decisions had been finalized.

The debate over the management and distribution of Fifa’s reserves highlights ongoing tensions within the organisation regarding financial governance, transparency, and the equitable support of football’s global membership ahead of its key leadership votes.