Premier League joins European leagues to demand FIFA reform
The Premier League has joined La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A to demand fundamental reform of FIFA.
The four leagues, which run the top divisions in England, Spain, Germany and Italy, issued a joint statement on 25 September. The Premier League lists the document on its official news hub under Statements. BBC Sport
The message was blunt. The leagues said they spoke out because FIFA's relentless expansionism affects everyone in the game. They claimed FIFA president Gianni Infantino has actively promoted exploitative ideas, and said reform is needed to make FIFA transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive.
The statement landed days after Infantino proposed an external review of how FIFA operates. That proposal followed a crisis over his failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
At the centre of the row is a project called the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme. The leagues described it as one of the biggest abuses of power in FIFA's history, and said football stakeholders ultimately forced its withdrawal. The private-equity proposal had offered member associations $20 million in immediate funding for special projects, according to earlier reporting, while confederation chiefs had called for a $2.1 billion payout to all 211 FIFA member associations. Reuters Al Jazeera
The leagues set out three fixes. First, FIFA should create a permanent body for leagues, clubs and players, from the men's and women's game, with a meaningful role in decision-making. Second, any major proposal should face independent assessment of its impact on all stakeholders, a test the leagues call evidence-based decision-making. Third, FIFA should separate its regulatory role, acting as rule-maker and judge, from its commercial work selling tournaments and sponsorship.
That third demand includes calls for ethics, financial oversight and electoral bodies that are genuinely independent of the FIFA administration and presidency. It also covers disciplinary matters kept free from political interference. The leagues' point relates to the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup, after US President Donald Trump called Infantino to ask for the ban to be reviewed.
This is not a new argument. Two years ago, Europe's top leagues and Fifpro, the global players' union, filed a legal complaint against FIFA with the European Commission over alleged abuse of dominance. The complaint focused on expansion of the international fixture calendar, the schedule of matches across club and country, and a lack of consultation. FIFPRO Europe repeated its demand for reform to FIFA's decision-making after the investment plan collapsed on 14 September. Reuters
For fans, this means the fight is about more than boardroom power. It decides how many games players are asked to play, when leagues can schedule their seasons, and who gets a vote before big ideas go ahead. Premier League clubs have pushed back before, unanimously opposing FIFA's plan for a World Cup every two years back in 2021.
