FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who had earlier promised that the international governing body would not let football suffer, has kept his promise as FIFA announced that a sum of USD 150 million would be distributed to 211 member associations.
“You have to know that we will be there and we will find solutions together. You will never be alone… (and) the world will know where the money goes and, equally important, why the money goes there,” Infantino had said earlier.
FIFA declared that the 150 million was the first relief step to help the football communities across the globe impacted by the financial stress caused by the stoppage of the spot due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an official statement on Saturday, the international governing body informed that each association would receive USD 500,000. Alongside, all the other operational funds that the members were due to receive for the year 2019 and 2020 would be paid.
Reportedly, under normal circumstances, FIFA’s member associations would have only received the full amount of the contribution upon fulfillment of specific criteria. Instead, FIFA is now transferring this amount as an active support to help safeguard football across all member associations.
“The pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges for the entire football community and, as the world governing body, it is FIFA’s duty to be there and support the ones that are facing acute needs,” Infantino. “This starts by providing immediate financial assistance to our member associations, many of which are experiencing severe financial distress.
“This is the first step of a far-reaching financial relief plan we are developing to respond to the emergency across the whole football community. Together with our stakeholders, we are we assessing the losses and we are working on the most appropriate and effective tools to implement the other stages of this relief plan.
“I would like to thank the chairpersons of the FIFA Development Committee, Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, and the FIFA Finance Committee, Alejandro Domínguez, for their commitment and urgent approval of these measures by their committees.”