The Premier League, alongside La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga, has issued a joint statement to FIFA demanding an overhaul of the governing body's governance structure. The leagues have outlined four key changes they want implemented, following scrutiny of FIFA president Gianni Infantino since the World Cup, particularly after plans to sell stakes in the competition emerged.
Leagues Demand Immediate Action
In a clear statement, the leagues said: "This must change now for the sake of football." They jointly called for a new governance structure that is "transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive," built on three core commitments.
The first demand is to give affected stakeholders a real role in decision-making. The leagues insist FIFA must establish a permanent body representing key stakeholders, including national associations, leagues, clubs, and players from men's and women's football. This body must be fully informed about new initiatives and have a meaningful role in FIFA's decision-making process, with the agreement of directly affected groups required for decisions on the calendar, employment, competitions and football's core assets.
Evidence-Based and Independent Oversight
The second demand calls for evidence-based decision-making. Any major FIFA proposal must begin with a clearly defined rationale, supporting evidence and an independent assessment, published before any decision. This assessment should cover players, clubs, leagues and supporters, evaluating the impact on all stakeholders and the development of football. A range of options should be scrutinised, and final decisions accompanied by published explanations.
The third commitment seeks to protect FIFA's regulatory role from its commercial function. The leagues argue that FIFA's role as regulator and guardian of the game must be safeguarded from its commercial interests as a global competition organiser, through robust institutional safeguards to preserve trust, legitimacy and accountability.
Calls for Independent Bodies
The statement also demands that the ethics, financial oversight and electoral bodies have appointments, budgets and powers that are genuinely independent of the FIFA administration and presidency. These reforms aim to ensure that FIFA's core competition rights, including the World Cup, are held in trust for all of football.
