A statement co-signed with the top leagues from Spain, Italy and Germany said soccer had “suffered one of the biggest abuses of power in FIFA’s history. Gianni Infantino came under more pressure on Friday as the Premier League and three other top European leagues called for FIFA governance reform following the failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. It accused FIFA’s president of actively promoting “exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them. The Premier League is soccer’s richest and most popular league.
Its collaboration with Europe’s other leading leagues adds to the growing pressure on Infantino, who is facing the biggest crisis in his 10 years as FIFA’s leader.
their statement was highly critical, hitting out at FIFA’s “relentless expansionism While the leagues did not follow UEFA by specifically calling for Infantino to step down. “Now is the moment to decide not only who will lead FIFA, but also how FIFA should be led. “FIFA’s governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual.
Despite the backlash over his controversial plan to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary, and losing the support of many national federations, FIFA says Infantino plans to stand again in next year’s elections for a final term in office through 2031. Infantino’s now ditched proposal to create a $20 billion company called the FIFA Forward Enterprise to run the World Cup with private investors including the Kushner family, caught the soccer world by surprise when it emerged in July.
“Football’s longstanding foundations have, in recent years, been threatened by a fundamental governance problem,” it said. The big four leagues also are members of the European Leagues network, which filed a formal complaint against “abusive” FIFA governance standards in 2023 at the European Commission in Brussels. The wider question is whether FIFA’s president should simultaneously wield such regulatory, commercial and political power without effective checks and balances,” they said.
