The Premier League has united with La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga in demanding immediate governance changes at Fifa following the controversial World Cup sell-off proposal known as FFE, as Gianni Infantino prepares to pursue a fourth presidential term.
The forceful joint statement suggests that Infantino’s offer to commission an independent governance review is considered inadequate, with reports indicating that several members of the Fifa Council have already opposed the proposal.
In an apparent criticism of Infantino, Europe’s four leading domestic leagues claimed that the Fifa president has supported “exploitative ideas” that put the foundations of international football at risk. Referring indirectly to the Folarin Balogun case, they also demanded stronger safeguards to ensure that individual disciplinary proceedings remain clearly protected from political influence.
Relations between Fifa and Europe’s major leagues have been strained for some time, particularly because of the increasingly crowded match schedule. The introduction and expansion of competitions such as the Club World Cup have intensified those concerns.
European Leagues, the organisation representing domestic competitions, submitted a complaint to the European Commission two years ago accusing Fifa of abusive conduct. The complaint has since been broadened to cover women’s football.
The statement said that football’s traditional foundations have come under pressure in recent years because of a serious governance failure, arguing that Fifa’s president has encouraged exploitative proposals instead of protecting the sport from them. It added that although stakeholders succeeded in stopping the Fifa Forward Enterprise plan, the circumstances that allowed FFE to emerge have not disappeared.
It also said that the Fifa president has recognised the need for change, but warned that minor procedural adjustments after the FFE controversy would not be sufficient. According to the leagues, substantial governance reform is required to re-establish clear constitutional limits within Fifa and guarantee that disciplinary cases are visibly free from political intervention.
The leagues stressed that Fifa’s future affects everyone invested in football, because the sport cannot continue expanding worldwide if the structures supporting it are weakened.
Alongside their criticism of Infantino, the leagues urged the next president to support three key reforms: establishing a permanent Fifa decision-making body that includes representatives from national associations, leagues, clubs and players; publishing explanations for important decisions before they are implemented; and keeping Fifa’s regulatory responsibilities separate from its commercial activities.
The statement argued that a governance model placing unrestricted regulatory, commercial and political authority in one office, while limiting affected stakeholders to advisory roles, is unsuitable for modern football.
The leagues called on presidential candidates to back these principles and organise an independently led governance convention within the first 100 days of the next term. The convention should represent member associations and the broader football community, with a requirement to publish its conclusions within six months.
They also said every presidential candidate should release a detailed reform plan, discuss it publicly and comply with fair election procedures. Fifa’s financial, legal, communications and marketing capabilities, together with its football development funding, should remain entirely neutral and must not provide an electoral benefit to any contender.
Prospective candidates have until 18 November to confirm that they intend to stand, with the presidential election scheduled for March.
Infantino is currently the only declared candidate, prompting increasing concern within European football that he could secure another term without facing an opponent.
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