The Premier League has joined forces with La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga to call for urgent governance reform at Fifa after the World Cup sell-off debacle (FFE) as Gianni Infantino prepares to seek a fourth term as president.
Their strongly worded statement is the latest indication that Infantino’s willingness to hold an external governance review does not go far enough, after the Guardian revealed that several Fifa council members have rejected that proposal.
In a thinly veiled attack on Infantino, the four biggest European leagues accused the Fifa president of promoting “exploitative ideas” which threaten the foundations of the global game. They also reference the Folarin Balogun affair by calling for more checks and balances to ensure that “individual disciplinary matters remain demonstrably insulated from political interference”.
There has been considerable tension between the leading European leagues and Fifa for some time, particularly over the increasingly congested calendar, which has been exacerbated by the development of new competitions such as the Club World Cup.
The lobby group European Leagues filed a legal complaint to the European Commission against Fifa two years ago, accusing it of abusive practices, which has since been extended to include the women’s game.
“Football’s long-standing 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 statement read. “And while football’s stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the Fifa Forward Enterprise 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 future of Fifa matters to everyone who cares about football, because our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined.”
In addition to condemning Infantino, the leagues called for three governance changes to be endorsed by the next president: the creation of a permanent decision-making body within Fifa including representatives of national associations, leagues, clubs and players; a commitment to publish the reasoning behind major decisions in advance; and the separation of Fifa’s regulatory functions from its commercial operations.
“A Fifa governance that concentrates unchecked regulatory, commercial and political power in a single office, while relegating affected stakeholders to mere advisory status, is not fit for purpose,” the statement added.
“At this crucial time for our sport, we encourage candidates for the Fifa presidency to endorse these principles and, within the first 100 days of the next presidential mandate, to convene an independently chaired governance convention representing member associations and the wider football community, mandated to report publicly within six months.
“All candidates for the Fifa presidency should publish their own reform programme, debate its contents and adhere to fair election rules. Fifa’s financial, legal, communications and marketing resources, as well as its football development funds, must remain strictly neutral and never create an electoral advantage for any candidate.”
The deadline for presidential candidates declaring their intention to stand is 18 November, with the election in March.
Infantino is the only declaration to date, with the Guardian reporting this week that there are growing concerns within European football that he will end up being re-elected unopposed.
