Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga demand FIFA reform amid Infantino re-election bid

Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga demand FIFA reform amid Infantino re-election bidThe Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga have issued a joint statement demanding governance reform at FIFA amid president Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election in 2027.

>The four major European leagues published a strongly worded collective statement on Friday, accusing FIFA's president of having "actively promoted exploitative ideas" and calling for fundamental changes to the way football's global governing body operates.

>The statement follows long-running tensions between the leagues and FIFA over the global football calendar. According toSky Sports, Infantino has also faced criticism over his proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA's commercial rights, including the World Cup, to private investors.

>"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," the statement read.

>The leagues referenced the withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, warning that while football's stakeholders forced its withdrawal, "the conditions that led to FFE remain."

>They said Infantino's acknowledgment of the need for reform was not enough, calling for "fundamental governance reform" to "restore clear constitutional boundaries within FIFA, including confidence that individual disciplinary matters remain demonstrably insulated from political interference."

>While the statement stopped short of calling for Infantino to stand down, the leagues made clear the problem extends beyond any single individual.

>"FIFA's governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual," the leagues said. "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."

>The statement concluded with a pointed reference to previous reform efforts following criminal proceedings involving senior football officials, stating: "Once again, football has suffered one of the biggest abuses of power in FIFA's history."

>According to Sky Sports, the joint statement followed a legal complaint filed nearly two years ago by the European Leagues Association to the EU about FIFA's handling of the International Match Calendar. Infantino reportedly wrote to football chiefs earlier this week expressing openness to discussions about reforming the organisation.