The Premier League has joined La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A in calling for “fundamental” reforms to the governance of FIFA, football’s world governing body.
In a joint statement Friday, the four major European leagues said FIFA needed to become more “transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive,” amid growing concerns over the organisation’s expanding activities and decision-making processes.
The leagues said they were speaking out because changes to FIFA’s operations have consequences for football stakeholders around the world.
“Our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined,” the leagues said.
Their statement comes days after FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed an external review of the organisation’s operations following controversy over his now-withdrawn plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
The four leagues described the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme as “one of the biggest abuses of power in Fifa’s history” and argued that its withdrawal had not addressed the wider governance concerns.
“While football’s stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, the conditions that led to FFE remain,” the leagues said.
They acknowledged that Infantino had recognised the need for reform but argued that changes should go beyond procedural adjustments.
“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,” they said.
The leagues also called for stronger safeguards to ensure that individual disciplinary matters are protected from political interference.
The statement is understood to refer to the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup, following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had asked Infantino to review the striker’s ban.
The leagues said their concerns were not directed solely at Infantino, stressing that FIFA’s governance structure itself needed to be examined.
“FIFA’s governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual,” they said.
They questioned whether the FIFA president should be able to exercise regulatory, commercial and political powers simultaneously without effective checks and balances or the agreement of affected stakeholders.
“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 leagues said.
The Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A called for a governance framework that would provide greater transparency and accountability while ensuring that football stakeholders have adequate representation in FIFA’s decision-making processes.
FIFA has been approached for comment on the statement and the allegations raised by the four leagues.
Comments
Add a comment