The statement added: “Reform is essential. Those currently in charge have allowed power to cloud the difference between personal priorities and the interests of football.
“What has happened recently means remaining silent is no longer an option.”
The statement also urged everyone, from the grassroots level to the highest ranks of the sport, to unite behind “fundamental reform” at Fifa. It said players and supporters should have a “genuine, direct voice” in the way football is governed.
Infantino’s leadership has come under growing scrutiny in recent weeks, as several confederations have reacted strongly to the controversy surrounding Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).
Uefa has warned that it could withdraw from every Fifa competition. European confederation president Aleksander Ceferin said he expects Infantino either to step down or face an opponent in next March’s election. Several national governing bodies, including the football associations of England, Wales and Scotland, have also ended their support.
Silvestre’s participation amounts to opposition from inside Fifa, as the governing body established the 16-member Players’ Voice Panel to oversee and provide guidance on efforts to combat racism in football.
However, Infantino has received backing from former Barcelona forward Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian Football Association, who maintains that the Fifa chief has not “done anything wrong”.
“I still believe this initiative had the potential to be extraordinary for Africa,” Eto’o said in an interview, external on Monday.
“It could have shifted football’s balance of power and helped prevent our best players from being lost to other countries.
“Infantino has transformed the sport. He has opened the door for countries that previously lacked the chance to compete at football’s greatest event, the World Cup. Smaller nations have gained access to these tournaments because of him. He has supported Africa and helped our federations progress at a much faster pace, and that contribution deserves recognition.”
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