6 billion on the table: Infantino faces a storm of anger with a surprise move

Gianni Infantino has a plan to shore up his position before the next FIFA elections, according to a press report published on Wednesday.

Support for the Swiss has drained away in several countries, with the criticism aimed at him peaking after the last World Cup.

"The Athletic" report that FIFA will propose a funding package worth more than 6 billion dollars to develop the global game between 2027 and 2030.

 Each member association would see its payments rise to 25 million dollars over four years, up from the 10 million dollars originally planned. Each of the six confederations would pocket 99 million dollars.

 Funding it means dipping into the reserves. FIFA, under Infantino's presidency, will pull more than 3.5 billion dollars from them, helped above all by the exceptional commercial revenues of the 2026 World Cup, estimated at around 15 billion dollars.

Tensions over how FIFA is run form the backdrop. The governing body abandoned its "FIFA Forward Enterprise" project, which had aimed to open 20% of its commercial activities and events to private sector investors close to American president Donald Trump.

 UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani both called on Infantino to resign, while demanding the financial reserves be redistributed to the member associations.

 Infantino, meanwhile, wants a third consecutive term when the elections take place in Morocco in March 2027. He may well stand unopposed. Nobody has declared against him before the nomination deadline of 18 November.