Premier League joins call for FIFA reform

The Premier League, along with La Liga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A, have joined together to advocate for significant reforms in FIFA’s governance structure. These four major football leagues released a joint statement on Friday, emphasizing the urgent need for changes to make FIFA more transparent, objective, and inclusive. Their primary concern stems from FIFA’s expansion of operations, which they argue undermines the foundations of the sport worldwide.

The statement comes in the aftermath of FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s proposal for an external review of the organization’s activities, following controversy over his plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. The leagues referred to the controversy as "one of the biggest abuses of power in Fifa’s history," noting that despite the withdrawal of the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, the underlying governance issues persist.

While acknowledging Infantino’s recognition of the need for reform, the leagues insisted that surface-level process changes are insufficient. They called for fundamental governance reforms to restore clear constitutional boundaries within FIFA and ensure that individual disciplinary matters remain insulated from political interference.

The statement specifically references the cancelled suspension of U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, highlighting concerns over political interference in football governance. The leagues emphasized that FIFA’s governance issues extend beyond Infantino personally, questioning whether the president should hold regulatory, commercial, and political powers without proper checks and balances or stakeholder agreement.

The Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Serie A are pushing for a governance structure that provides greater transparency and accountability while ensuring the interests of football stakeholders are adequately represented.