MANCHESTER: Four of Europe’s most powerful football leagues called for sweeping reforms at FIFA on Friday, saying stakeholders must be given a greater role in decision-making as scrutiny mounts over the governing body’s leadership.
England’s Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s LaLiga said FIFA needed stronger checks and balances, clear constitutional boundaries and greater separation between its regulatory and commercial functions.
The move marks the first coordinated response from the four leagues since FIFA President Gianni Infantino abandoned an attempt earlier this year to push through a plan involving outside investment in FIFA’s commercial operations after it triggered a backlash across world football.
“The World Cup may be the pinnacle of our sport, but the foundations of football are sustained week in and week out, in packed stadiums and local communities, by dedicated players, fans, clubs and leagues around the world,” the leagues said in a joint statement on Friday.
“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. And while football’s stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, the conditions that led to FFE remain.”
The statement adds to growing scrutiny of FIFA’s governance as Infantino seeks reelection next year. FIFA has been contacted for comment.
Relations between FIFA and Europe’s top leagues have deteriorated in recent years, driven largely by disputes over the expansion of international competitions.
Clubs and domestic leagues have repeatedly complained that a growing number of FIFA-organized events places additional strain on players and threatens the value of domestic competitions.
Infantino sought to address the criticism earlier this week in a letter to the FIFA Council and the presidents of all 211 member associations, proposing that the Council consider commissioning an independent external review of FIFA’s governance framework for major strategic initiatives.
He also proposed consultations with confederations, associations and other stakeholders over strengthening decision-making and said he remained fully committed to leading FIFA.
“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 leagues’ statement said.
Several European federations quickly dismissed Infantino’s move, and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin issued a stern assessment on Wednesday.
Ceferin did not name Infantino, but his remarks were a clear reference to the proposal to sell up to a 20 percent stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, including those linked to the World Cup, to private investors.
The project was dropped in July after opposition from European soccer’s governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and North American confederation CONCACAF.
The four European leagues are calling on FIFA to give affected stakeholders a real role in decision-making, establish a permanent body representing key stakeholders, including national associations, leagues, clubs, and players from across men’s and women’s football; ensure evidence-based decision-making; and protect FIFA’s regulatory role from its commercial function.
“The future of FIFA matters to everyone who cares about football, because our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined,” the statement said.
“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.”
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