BY SABELO GWEBU
MBABANE – Each member association of FIFA, including the Eswatini Football Association (EFA), will now receive US$8 million (approximately E145 680 000) in a four-year period (2023-2026) according to the new FIFA Forward 3.0 development funds.
The current US Dollar and Lilangeni rate is 18.21 and the funds have seen an increase of 25 per cent. Adopted by the FIFA Congress on May 9, 2016, the FIFA Forward Development Programme is built to provide 360-degree, tailor-made support for football development in each member association and the six confederations based on three principles: more investment, more impact, and more oversight.
“The aim is to improve the way we develop and support across the globe so that football can reach its potential in every single country, and everyone who wants to take part can do so without barriers,” FIFA said.
The development fund comes with regulations and requirements that each member association must meet to receive their entitlement.
Speaking at the FIFA congress on Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said “A 25 per cent increase means that, compared to 2016, when I arrived as FIFA President, each member association will now receive around (USD) 8 million in a four-year period.”
This corresponds to seven times more than what was the case before 2016. The regulations and requirements of the new FIFA Forward 3.0 are expected to be released later by FIFA.
The projected FIFA revenues of USD 11 billion for the next four-year cycle represent a significant increase compared to the previous cycle of USD 7.5 billion, with the funds to be distributed for global football development projects across the world.
The increased projected revenues allow for a substantial rise in the funding to be allocated to each member association – with the next cycle promising a sevenfold increase in global football development investment, compared to the period before President Infantino was elected. “Today, the FIFA reserves are at almost USD 4 billion, which means we have even more money that we can inject and invest in football, because FIFA’s money is your money,” the FIFA President said in Kigali where he was re-elected unopposed.
