The English Premier League has joined three European counterparts in calling for “fundamental” changes to the governance of the Fifa, accusing its president Gianni Infantino of having “actively promoted exploitative ideas”.
The Premier League states in a joint statement issued along with La Liga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A.
They demand the reforms in order to transform the world football body into an entity which is “transparent, objective, proportionate, and inclusive” saying that “our sport cannot develop worldwide if its foundation is undermined.”
This follows shortly after Infantino suggested an independent evaluation of the work of Fifa in response to the crisis caused by the scandalous proposal of selling a share in the organization to investors, per BBC Sport.
Referencing “one of the biggest abuses of power in Fifa’s history”, the four leagues say that “while football’s stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, the conditions that led to FFE remain”.
The statement added: “The Fifa president has now acknowledged the need for reform, but 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.”
Uefa and the Belgian FA are still seeking answers from FIFA regarding the cancellation of United States forward Folarin Balogun’s red card at the 2026 World Cup
“Fifa’s governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual,” the leagues added.
“The wider question is whether Fifa’s president should simultaneously wield 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.”
