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09/18 11:21 CDT Infantino's opponents at FIFA call for $10M payments to federations from post-World Cup reserves Infantino's opponents at FIFA call for $10M payments to federations from post-World Cup reserves By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) --- FIFA's member federations should each get an extra $10 million from its swelling cash reserves after a successful World Cup, the soccer body's vice presidents from Europe and North America said in a letter Friday to its president Gianni Infantino as they stepped up efforts to oust him for trying to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors. The letter says FIFA should have cash reserves of $6 billion after the World Cup and can afford such a "one-off release" --- which would total $2.1 billion to the 211 federations --- UEFA's president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF's leader Victor Montagliani tell Infantino in a letter seen by The Associated Press. UEFA and CONCACAF want to remove Infantino --- either before or at the FIFA presidential election next March --- after leading a global backlash in July against his World Cup sell-off plan to investors led by Joshua Kushner. He is the young brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. Infantino built close ties to Trump ahead of this year's World Cup held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and was a regular visitor to the White House. The call for $10-million payments to the national federations --- who will elect the next president --- is a clear counter to Infantino's offer of $20 million for each to support his now-failed project. The message in Friday's letter appears to be reassuring FIFA members they will get increased funding even without Infantino in the office he has occupied since 2016. The letter says already promised FIFA funding --- $20 million for each of the 211 through 2030 --- "would continue in full as already committed." FIFA was approached for comment. Ceferin and Montagliani told Infantino they want a full and independent analysis of FIFA's finances ahead of an Oct. 15 meeting in Zurich, to help decide how much money can responsibly be given to member federations. The UEFA and CONCACAF leaders shape as key players at the scheduled meeting next month of the Infantino-chaired FIFA Council --- its first since his secretive private equity plan was revealed by press reports in late July. "Lastly, please note we will be informing the other four confederation presidents to support this motion," Ceferin and Montagliani wrote. The Asian Football Confederation also has been critical of Infantino in recent weeks. The soccer bodies in South America and Africa have backed Infantino, who traveled to the Caribbean last month trying to shore up support from CONCACAF members there, despite Montagliani asking him not to visit.

FIFA's election timetable FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for candidates to enter the election that is decided four months later in Rabat in Morocco, a key ally of Infantino and 2030 World Cup co-host with UEFA members Spain and Portugal. After a profitable World Cup in North America, Infantino looked set to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term through 2031 until the private investment furor. It is unclear who could emerge as a rival candidate, though European soccer leaders are due to gather at a UEFA-hosted event before the FIFA Council meeting. Past speculation has typically landed on Canada's Montagliani and the Qatari president of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser al-Khelaifi. He is both a member of the Qatari government and UEFA's executive committee. Neither has said they want to challenge Infantino, who has been publicly supported by the Qatar soccer federation.

UEFA's pursuit of Infantino in U.S. courts UEFA has asked courts in Manhattan and Florida to authorize discovery of evidence from, respectively, Kushner's investment firm in New York and FIFA around the $20 billion commercial spinoff project, that was to be known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The European soccer body said last month it wanted documents and communication for a potential criminal complaint against Infantino in FIFA's home country Switzerland, for possible financial mismanagement. ___ See AP's full soccer coverage here

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