By Paul Nicholson
February 24 – Shaikh Salman Bin Al Khalifa has kept the FIFA political focus on financial issues to the front of the election agenda by repeating his belief that FIFA could not afford the $5 million per federation promise being made by Gianni Infantino.
This would be an increase of more than double on the $2.05 million per federation between 2011 and 2014. “The expected deficit for the next four years is $560 million – this is going to be withdrawn from the reserves,” said Salman, a member of FIFA’s finance committee, said in an interview with the Associated Press.
“If you are a chair of a company that is making losses and you say you are going to distribute dividends to your shareholders, it doesn’t make sense.”
“I think in three years we (FIFA) would be bankrupt — that’s how it is,” Salman said. “Every person can see this cannot happen. The numbers do not match at all … you cannot make promises that you cannot keep.”
Salman’s plan is to distribute development funding to federations on a needs-based basis, and that federations recognise that times have changed.
“They know FIFA as an organization, that it’s not as it was before,” said Salman. “So the priorities are different. We have to look after our own home and make sure that it’s functioning in the right way before we move on to the others.”
But he does not see the FIFA financial future as one of meltdown and that new money into the organisation is achievable.
“I know a few sponsors that are ready which have not signed (to) a contract yet who are ready to sign once I’m elected,” Salman said.
If he fails to win election Salman says he would still attempt to block Infantino’s planned distribution of funds as he maintains that would be the right thing to do from the managing the business perspective. “If I am not elected as president I will still be a FIFA vice president and I will always do what is right for the organisation to maintain that support for other countries as well.”
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