Fifa president Gianni Infantino has written to all 211 member associations promising each will receive $40m if they support his plan to sell stakes in the organisation’s major competitions.
The offer comes less than 24 hours after the bombshell proposal rocked global football, triggering swift condemnation from governing bodies across Europe, Asia and North America.
Infantino has set a deadline of 19 September for federations to accept the terms, with an initial $20m made available to those who respond positively before that date.
Fifa wants to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including the World Cup, through which external investors would be able to purchase stakes.
The letter, signed by Infantino and seen by the BBC, confirms the money will come from “liquidating a minority portion” of Fifa’s stake in Fifa Forward Enterprise, a subsidiary set up to maximise commercial revenue.
It is understood Infantino left some of Fifa’s eight vice-presidents in the dark about the plan, which is claimed could raise $10bn in total.
“It is my duty and responsibility as Fifa president to present such game-changing opportunities to you, our members,” Infantino wrote in the five-page letter.
“It is equally my duty and responsibility to ensure such proposals are sufficiently complete and feasible, replete with substantiated figures and clear terms to assist you in the decision-making process.”
Although Fifa suggested Infantino outlined the proposal at a council meeting just before the World Cup final earlier this month, those present strongly rejected that account, saying he merely offered an aspirational vision around maximising revenue streams.
Many now believe they were duped, concluding that negotiations had already been completed and they are being presented with a fait-accompli.
The Football Association said it was “completely unaware” of the proposal and expressed serious concern about the governance process that led to it being announced publicly.
An FA spokeswoman said: “Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved.”
Uefa took the extraordinary step of condemning the plans before they had even been formally published, calling an emergency meeting of all 55 member associations to coordinate a response later this week.
The possibility of a boycott is expected to be raised, given that six of the eight quarter-finalists at this summer’s World Cup, including winners Spain, were European nations.
Concacaf, which hosted this summer’s tournament across North and Central America, also criticised the lack of due process, warning that all parties have a collective responsibility to act in football’s best interests.
La Liga president Javier Tebas went further, accusing Infantino of attempting to buy votes ahead of the next Fifa Congress in March 2027.
“It doesn’t seem like a reform. It seems like an electoral campaign financed with the future of football,” Tebas said, adding that “competitions and commercial rights of Fifa are not the personal patrimony of Infantino.”
Hans-Joachim Watzke, vice-president of the German Football Association and president of Borussia Dortmund, described the proposals as an “absolute attack on football” in comments to Kicker magazine.
Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter also intervened, writing on X: “The close relationship between the Fifa president and the US President has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. No-one has the right to sell our game.”
One senior source within the English game told BBC Sport the threat is on a par with the proposed European Super League, which caused enormous controversy in 2021 before collapsing within 48 hours, though few expect Fifa to retreat in the same way.
