The Premier League and three other leading European competitions have demanded a “fundamental” overhaul of Fifa’s governance, accusing president Gianni Infantino of “actively promoting exploitative ideas”.
In a joint declaration with Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A, England’s top division said the leagues had decided to speak publicly because Fifa’s continued drive to expand has consequences for everyone involved in football.
The four competitions argued that changes are necessary to ensure the global governing body operates transparently, objectively, proportionately and inclusively. They warned that football cannot develop worldwide when its underlying structures are being weakened.
Their intervention followed Infantino’s proposal for an independent examination of Fifa’s operations amid controversy surrounding his unsuccessful attempt to sell private investors a stake in the World Cup.
Describing the episode as one of the most serious misuses of authority in the organisation’s history, the leagues said football stakeholders had ultimately secured the cancellation of the Fifa Forward Enterprise plan. However, they maintained that the circumstances which made the scheme possible still exist.
The statement said Infantino had accepted that reform was required, but warned that limited procedural adjustments after the failed initiative would not be sufficient. It called for comprehensive governance changes to re-establish firm constitutional limits and ensure disciplinary cases remain clearly protected from political influence.
This was understood to concern the reversal of United States forward Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension after US President Donald Trump contacted Infantino and requested a review of the striker’s punishment.
The leagues stressed that Fifa’s governance difficulties extend beyond any single person.
They also questioned whether the organisation’s president should hold extensive regulatory, commercial and political authority at the same time without meaningful oversight or the approval of those affected. In their view, a system that centralises unchecked power in one office while limiting stakeholders to an advisory role is unsuitable.
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