FIFA roll out their $150m support package for member associations

Liam Watson

FIFA, football’s global governing body, has introduced its first step of a major relief plan by releasing operational funding to each of its member associations for 2019 and 2020 in an effort to assist football leagues and clubs at all levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s a commitment that will see FIFA distribute $150m (€139m) to all 211 member national governing bodies, with each to receive a minimum of $500,000 to cover operational costs. All remaining entitlements during 2019 and 2020 will be paid in full immediately to help associations with their cashflow, including payments which usually would have depended on certain criteria being met under the Forward 2.0 development programme. 

“[The funds should be] used to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on football, namely to meet financial or operational obligations that they may have towards staff and other third parties.” said FIFA in its statement.

They mentioned that any use of the funds would be audited to make sure they are spent properly, with FIFA keen to avoid the charges of corruption that have dogged the top levels of the sport in recent years. 

The statement added that the release of the funds was possible given FIFA has been able to remain in a strong financial position for the last four years. The governing body has not released its financial results for 2019 yet, but in its statement for 2018 it revealed it was sitting on cash reserves of $2.74bn (€2.42bn) following the four-year cycle which linked up with the end of the most recent FIFA World Cup in Russia.

“The pandemic has 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,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

“This starts by providing immediate financial assistance to our member associations, many of which are experiencing severe financial distress.”

The relief plan will provide some much needed funding to leagues around the world already losing out, with clubs under pressure financially without games being played.

Recently the Eredivisie made the tough decision to void the entire season meaning league leaders Ajax have been denied the title as well as there being no promotion and relegation in the Dutch top flight.

FIFA has confirmed that the next stages of its plan are still being finalised and will be announced in the coming weeks. 

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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