- Release advance payment of $500,000
- Relaxed criteria to $6 million for developmental program
- More relief will be given in due course
In other to help each 211 member associations to ease financial concerns caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the FIFA has released advance payments of $500,000 (£404,000/€462,000) to it’s member associations. The money is also expected to cover operational costs during this time.
Each association receives $6 million (£4.9 million/€5.5 million) from FIFA during the four-year World Cup cycle as part of its development programme
FIFA said it had also relaxed criteria, which needs to be met in order for the governing bodies in each country to be paid their share of the money, in response to the pandemic “as an active sports support to help safeguard football across all member associations”.
The second installment of operational costs had not been due to be released by the organisation until July.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the pandemic had 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”.
Further relief will be provided to members by FIFA after it has finalised the next stage of its plan.
“This starts by providing immediate financial assistance to our member associations, many of which are experiencing severe financial distress,” Infantino added.
“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.”
FIFA said the money should be used “to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19 on football in member associations, namely to meet financial or operational obligations that they may have towards staff and other third parties”.
