The four major European leagues, the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga, called Friday for FIFA governance reform as the organization faces a crisis following the revelation of a failed plan to create a commercial company open to private investors.
“Fundamental governance reform is essential to restore clear statutory boundaries within FIFA and demonstrably ensure that individual disciplinary matters remain free from political interference,” the four leagues said in a statement sent to AFP.
The call comes as FIFA president Gianni Infantino faces growing pressure after pursuing the creation of a commercial company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), without prior consultation. Infantino, who is seeking another term as FIFA president in March 2027, proposed on Monday that member associations take part in “a consultation” on reforming the organization’s governance.
“The FIFA president has acknowledged the need for reform, but it is not enough to consider superficial or procedural changes in the wake of the FFE affair,” the four major European leagues said, describing the FFE project as “one of the most serious abuses of power in the history of the organization.”
The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga are calling for the creation of “a permanent body” representing “national associations, leagues, clubs and players, in both the men’s and women’s game.” The body should be “fully informed of new initiatives and play a significant role in FIFA’s decision-making process.”
Protecting FIFA’s regulatory role
“Any major FIFA proposal should be supported by clearly defined reasoning, evidence and an independent assessment, published before any decision is taken, taking into account players, clubs, leagues and supporters, and assessing its impact on all stakeholders as well as on the development of football,” the four leagues said.
They also called for measures to “protect FIFA’s regulatory role from its commercial function.”
The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga also called on candidates for the FIFA presidency to “subscribe to these principles and, within the first 100 days of the next presidential term, convene a governance convention, chaired by an independent figure and bringing together member associations and the wider football community, tasked with publishing a report within six months.”
Gianni Infantino is currently the only candidate for the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 18, 2027, with the deadline for submitting candidacies set for November 18.
Despite the withdrawal of the FFE project, UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) continue to call for Infantino’s departure.
In this context, UEFA is preparing a complaint against the FIFA president for “mismanagement” and is seeking a candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino in the election.
