The European football leagues, including the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, issued a letter on Friday calling for fundamental reforms in FIFA's operations and an increased role in decision-making processes.
Criticism of FIFA's Management
The letter states: "The long-standing foundations of football have been threatened in recent years due to fundamental governance issues, as the FIFA president has promoted exploitative ideas and put himself at risk instead of protecting them."
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Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has faced criticism since late July when his proposal for private investment through a commercial company called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was introduced. The aim of this plan was to organize FIFA competitions and maximize profits.
Need for Fundamental Reforms
The strong opposition from UEFA, the governing body of European football, along with the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation, led Infantino to quickly abandon the proposal. However, league leaders noted that this action did not address deeper issues and that Infantino's recent announcement of an independent review of FIFA's governance and consultations on strengthening decision-making processes is insufficient.
They emphasized: "Superficial changes and processes following FFE are not enough. Fundamental governance reforms are essential to restore clear legal boundaries within FIFA, including confidence that individual disciplinary matters remain significantly insulated from political interference."
The letter referenced widespread dissatisfaction regarding FIFA's management of the Folarin Balogun case. In this case, the one-match suspension of the American player was lifted so that he could play in the Round of 16 match of the World Cup against Belgium. This suspension had been imposed by FIFA's disciplinary committee, but was suspended after a personal call from U.S. President Donald Trump to Infantino for a "review" of the suspension.
The leagues also called for the implementation of greater checks and balances within FIFA while simultaneously requesting that their views be considered in decisions such as increasing the number of international matches.
Infantino intends to discuss his proposals at the FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on October 15. While UEFA is seeking a suitable candidate to challenge Infantino in the upcoming presidential election in March, Infantino has announced that he will run for re-election.
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