Infantino apologises as FIFA scraps controversial Forward Enterprise plan
FIFA has permanently shelved the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, with president Gianni Infantino apologising for the way the project was managed and presented following the latest FIFA Council meeting in Zurich.
The Council was told the FFE plan will not return in any version. Lawyers appointed from outside FIFA also briefed members on confidential legal cases in the United States connected to the matter, while a new cross-confederation working group will review FIFA’s wider governance structure.
Infantino said Council members had been given the chance to question the FFE project and voice their views. He accepted responsibility for the handling of an initiative that had faced mounting resistance from major football stakeholders in recent months.
New $6.35bn funding package proposed
FIFA also unveiled its FIFA Surplus Solidarity Programme, a proposed $6.35 billion development package for the 2027-2030 cycle. The plan is built on the commercial returns expected from the expanded 48-nation FIFA World Cup 2026.
The organisation expects a cycle surplus of between $5.2 billion and $5.6 billion. Under the proposal, each of FIFA’s 211 member associations would receive $25 million in development support, while FIFA would retain $1.7 billion in reserves.
Infantino said FIFA funds and reserves belong to its member associations, adding that the increased investment was intended to widen football access and development around the world after the expected World Cup financial result.
He also pointed to the rise in central support during his presidency, saying the amount available to each member association had increased from $1 million to $25 million over the past decade. Infantino thanked those who had contributed ideas on how FIFA money should be distributed and called for unity in the interests of the game.
What happens next
Funding from the Surplus Solidarity Programme is expected to be directed towards women’s football, youth programmes, infrastructure and long-term development projects. The proposed system will include eligibility requirements, application procedures, payment rules and audit controls.
FIFA’s administration will work with the relevant committees on the detailed regulations before taking the framework back to the Council at its next meeting in December 2026.
The major proposals, including the expanded funding programme, are then due to be submitted for final approval at the 77th FIFA Congress in March 2027.
Elsewhere, the Football Social Responsibility Committee will consider the FIFA Peace Prize, while the Legal Committee has begun examining disciplinary processes following Folarin Balogun’s suspended ban.
