Smaller football federations fear losing FIFA funding amid growing rift, says Alex Davani

SYDNEY: Smaller football federations, particularly those in Oceania, have remained largely silent amid FIFA’s growing internal dispute because they fear putting crucial development funding at risk, former Papua New Guinea international Alex Davani has said.

Davani, a former deputy general secretary of Football Australia, believes FIFA’s development funding system needs reform and says the controversy surrounding Gianni Infantino’s abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal could provide an opportunity to address long-standing concerns.

The 11-member Oceania Football Confederation was due to meet on Wednesday to discuss the dispute that has divided world football. Davani said the silence from smaller associations should not necessarily be interpreted as support for either side.

“I don’t think the sort of institutional silence or the quiet coming out of the region is complicity or apathy,” Davani told Reuters from Brisbane.

He argued that FIFA development funding can represent an association’s entire operational budget in parts of Oceania, creating a difficult situation for smaller federations.

“Speaking or forming a view may perhaps risk that funding,” he said, adding that associations do not want to jeopardise the financial support on which their operations depend.

Davani also questioned the structure of FIFA’s development funding, arguing that the money is effectively discretionary rather than an established entitlement for member associations.

“Nowhere in there is it enshrined the sort of principle that development money is an entitlement versus discretionary money,” he said.

Oceania has benefited from increased funding

Davani acknowledged that smaller federations have benefited significantly from the increase in FIFA development funding during Infantino’s tenure. According to Davani, associations in Oceania previously received around $2 million to $3 million over a four-year cycle, while the most recent round provided $8 million.

FIFA Forward funding has helped finance infrastructure projects across the region, including a national football centre in Papua New Guinea inaugurated by Infantino in 2023. A similar facility has opened in the Solomon Islands, while Vanuatu has also received a new stadium.

However, Davani said the prospect of additional financial incentives should not determine the kind of leadership Oceania expects from FIFA.

He argued that the region needs leaders who understand its unique challenges, including the enormous cost of travelling between islands, the impact of climate change and the importance of indigenous rights.

“For a region like Oceania, we need our leaders to have a real understanding of some of the things that impact the growth and development of professional football,” Davani said.

Talent is not the problem

Davani believes Oceania possesses considerable footballing talent but lacks the systems necessary to develop it consistently.

He pointed to players such as former Australia international Tim Cahill, who represented Samoa before switching allegiance, and France’s 1998 World Cup winner Christian Karembeu, who was born in New Caledonia, as examples of the talent produced by the region.

For Davani, the current FIFA dispute risks distracting attention from the fundamental issue of developing football.

“I think the disappointing thing for me about this entire (FIFA schism) is we stop talking about football, especially in a region where it needs to be played more often,” he said.

“I don’t think talent has been the issue. I think it’s been the systems around that talent.”

Davani hopes the debate sparked by the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal can ultimately lead to meaningful reform and allow football authorities to refocus on strengthening the game, particularly in smaller and developing federations.