FIFA president Gianni Infantino set a Sept. 19 deadline on Wednesday for the 211 member federations to approve his proposed private investment plan, which would give each association access to up to $40 million in funding.
The letter to member federations follows a backlash to the plans, with sources telling ESPN that UEFA is considering options, including a potential World Cup boycott, over what it described as a lack of consultation and governance.
Infantino writes in the letter that a $10 billion funding package would be available if the plan is approved, compared with $2.7 billion if it is rejected.
Infantino set out the "singular and unique funding opportunity" in a letter detailing why he wants to create a $20 billion FIFA subsidiary -- 20% owned by private investors -- that would run the football body's competitions and events such as World Cups and Club World Cups.
The proposal is backed by Thrive Capital, the investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner. Joshua Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"It is my duty and responsibility as FIFA president to present such game-changing opportunities to you, our members," Infantino wrote in the letter seen by The Associated Press.
The total comprises up to $20 million in one-off Fast Forward funding and $20 million in FIFA Forward development funding for the 2027-30 cycle.
The proposal revealed Tuesday was met with immediate fury from Infantino's former colleagues at UEFA, which said the World Cup "is not FIFA's to sell." UEFA is expected to call its 55 member federations to an emergency online meeting, likely on Thursday
One option open to European soccer is threaten a boycott of FIFA competitions -- a tactic used in 2021 when UEFA-led opposition helped stop Infantino's plan to play the World Cup every two years instead of four.
On Wednesday, UEFA and its president Aleksander Čeferin hosted a video conference between its five member federations with the biggest soccer leagues: England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
"President Čeferin expressed his stance against this [FIFA] project," Giovanni Malagò, the new president of Italian soccer said during the presentation of new Italy coach Roberto Mancini. "The situation is really total conflict."
Sources within women's football in England described FIFA's proposed plans as "unconscionable" and believe it could be incredibly detrimental to the women's game with decisions being driven by profit rather than player safety.
The same sources also said that though they understand the necessity of a UEFA boycott to oppose FIFA, they are concerned women's football could become a "pawn in politics" with the next World Cup being the women's edition in 2027.
There's growing concern that boycotting the women's World Cup will take place to allow negotiations to happen to prevent a boycott of the men's World Cup, which could potentially sacrifice the women's game in the meantime.
Concerns about the latest and previously secret plan were aired Wednesday by the continental soccer bodies for Asia and the North American region known as Concacaf.
"We are deeply concerned by the lack of due process," Concacaf said in a statement.
The Kuala Lumpur-based Asian Football Confederation said it was "disappointed that a matter of such significance entered the public domain before the AFC family had been afforded the opportunity to examine and discuss it."
The Confederation of African Football did not raise any objections in a statement, saying its president, Dr Patrice Motsepe, will host a meeting of the CAF executive committee next week to "assess and evaluate" FIFA's proposal.
It added that "CAF is committed to continue consulting and working together with its Member Associations, FIFA, other Football Confederations and stakeholders in support of increasing financial and other resources for the development and growth of football in Africa and worldwide."
The influential, 850-member European Football Clubs group -- which has a joint venture with UEFA to manage the Champions League -- said it "learned about this proposal in the same way as most global football stakeholders -- without warning and through the media."
FIFA's plan met quick opposition from United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose government is preparing to support hosting the 2035 Women's World Cup in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. FIFA is set to confirm that lone bid for 2035 at an online meeting in November.
"Football does not belong to investors," Burnham, a longtime soccer fan, said in a video message on Instagram. "Once you have sold a piece of [the World Cup], you have sold out. Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will."
FIFA's private equity plan is the latest ambitious project proposed during Infantino's 11-year presidency in which he has increasingly seemed to be an executive leader acting without consulting with football's major stakeholders.
A lack of transparency is one of the major objections to Infantino's move.
Previous plans include creating a FIFA Peace Prize -- awarded to Trump in December at the World Cup draw -- and trying to push through a secretive $25 billion private equity plan in 2018 to create new and bigger men's competitions. That was resisted by UEFA.
The Associated Press, PA, ESPN's Mark Ogden and ESPN's Emily Keogh all contributed to this report.