FIFA: Gianni Infantino 'exploitative ideas' criticised as Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga and Serie A unite to call for reform

A joint statement from Europe's top leagues has hit out at "exploitative ideas" pushed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and called for "essential" reform of football's governing body.

This summer, Infantino was forced to abandon a plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup after a backlash which led to UEFA pursuing legal action.

Earlier this week, in a letter to FIFA members, Infantino said he was open to an independent external review of the plan and that he should be allowed to continue leading FIFA because his responsibilities are "larger than any individual proposal or disagreement". There will be a FIFA presidential election in March 2027.

However, the Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga and Serie A chiefs have now called for "a new governance structure for our sport's global governing body that is transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive".

The leagues have outlined three core commitments they want to see implemented:

Key stakeholders - national associations, leagues, clubs and players - involved in FIFA's decision-making processes

Evidence-based decisions backed up by published explanations

A separation between FIFA's commercial functions and its "role as a regulator and guardian of the game"

"Football's longstanding foundations have, in recent years, been threatened by a fundamental governance problem, whereby FIFA's president has actively promoted exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them," the leagues say.

"And while football's stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, the conditions that led to FFE remain.

"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."

The final point refers to the controversial decision FIFA made to allow Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium at the World Cup, despite having been sent off in the previous game. It emerged USA President Donald Trump had spoken to Infantino about the USA striker's ban before it was suspended for one year.

"The future of FIFA matters to everyone who cares about football, because our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined," say the leagues.

"FIFA's governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual. 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.

"More than a decade ago, following criminal proceedings involving senior football officials, FIFA's own reform process sought to address these issues - yet, once again, football has suffered one of the biggest abuses of power in FIFA's history.

"We are speaking up together, as founding members of European Leagues and the World Leagues Association, because we understand how FIFA's relentless expansionism affects everyone."

The leagues call on potential candidates for next year's FIFA presidency election to "publish their own reform programme".

"Now is the moment to decide not only who will lead FIFA, but also how FIFA should be led," they say. "Leagues have a crucial role to play in this process, and we want to ensure that the voice of every league is heard."

The letter is signed by Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, Marc Lenz, CEO Bundesliga, Javier Tebas, president LaLiga, and Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Serie A.

Click here to read article