The Premier League has joined La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A in calling for “fundamental” reform of Fifa, claiming that Fifa president Gianni Infantino has “actively promoted exploitative ideas”. In a joint statement, the four leagues said they were speaking out “because we understand how Fifa’s relentless expansionism affects everyone”.
The leagues argued that change is needed to make Fifa “transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive”, adding that “our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined”. Their intervention comes days after Infantino proposed an external review of how Fifa operates, amid the ongoing crisis over his failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors, which sparked a global outcry.
The statement referred to what it called “one of the biggest abuses of power in Fifa’s history”. While football’s stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, the leagues said, “the conditions that led to FFE remain”.
They acknowledged that Infantino has now recognised the need for reform, but said that was not enough. “It is not enough for surface-level, process changes to be explored in the aftermath of FFE – fundamental governance reform is essential to restore clear constitutional boundaries within Fifa, including confidence that individual disciplinary matters remain demonstrably insulated from political interference,” the statement said. That is understood to reference the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup after US President Donald Trump called Infantino asking for the striker’s ban to be reviewed.
“Fifa’s governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual,” the leagues added. They questioned whether Fifa’s president should simultaneously hold such regulatory, commercial and political power without effective checks and balances, including the agreement of affected stakeholders. “Governance that concentrates unchecked regulatory, commercial and political power in a single office, while relegating affected stakeholders to mere advisory status, is not fit for purpose,” they said.
The four leagues set out three demands. They want Fifa to establish a permanent body representing key stakeholders, including leagues, clubs and players from across men’s and women’s football, with a meaningful role in its decision-making process. They also called for “evidence-based decision-making”, with any major proposal subject to an independent assessment evaluating its impact on all stakeholders. And they want a separation between Fifa’s regulatory role and its commercial function, backed by “robust institutional safeguards to preserve trust, legitimacy and accountability”, including ethics, financial oversight and electoral bodies genuinely independent of the Fifa administration and presidency.
The statement is the latest front in a longer dispute. Two years ago, Europe’s top leagues and players’ union Fifpro filed a legal complaint against Fifa with the European Commission over what they claimed was an “abuse of dominance” regarding the expansion of the international fixture calendar and an alleged lack of consultation. Fifa denied that and accused some leagues of “hypocrisy” and acting “without consideration to everyone else in the world”. The leagues now say their legal action “is a consequence of a flawed governance framework in which Fifa can use its regulatory authority to advance its own commercial objectives without accounting for the impact on the economic and social sustainability of national competitions that affect all stakeholders. This must change now for the sake of football”.
The letter is signed by Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, Marc Lenz, CEO of the Bundesliga, Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, and Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Serie A. Last month Masters said Infantino had “pressed the self-destruct button” by delivering “a self-inflicted wound” over FFE.
Despite three confederations calling for him to step down, Infantino has said he will stand for re-election in March. Opponents have until 18 November to find an alternative candidate. The four leagues want candidates to support their proposals, saying: “Now is the moment to decide not only who will lead Fifa, but also how Fifa should be led. Leagues have a crucial role to play in this process, and we want to ensure that the voice of every league is heard.”
Fifa has been approached for comment.