Premier League joins call for FIFA reform

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The Premier League has joined La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A in calling for “fundamental” reforms to the governance of FIFA, world football’s governing body.

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The four leagues made the call in a joint statement on Friday, saying reforms were necessary to make FIFA more “transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive.”

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The leagues said they were speaking out because FIFA’s expansion of its activities affects football stakeholders across the world.

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“Our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined,” the leagues said.

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The statement comes days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino proposed an external review of the organisation’s operations amid controversy surrounding his now-withdrawn plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

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The four leagues referred to the controversy as “one of the biggest abuses of power in Fifa’s history,” while arguing that the withdrawal of the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme had not resolved the underlying governance concerns.

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“While football’s stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, the conditions that led to FFE remain,” they said.

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The leagues acknowledged Infantino’s recognition of the need for reform but called for changes that go beyond procedural adjustments.

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“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,” the statement said.

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They also called for confidence that individual disciplinary matters remain insulated from political interference.

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The statement is understood to reference the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup, following a reported request by U.S. President Donald Trump to Infantino for the striker’s ban to be reviewed.

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The leagues said the governance concerns extended beyond Infantino personally.

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“FIFA’s governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual,” they said.

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They questioned whether the FIFA president should simultaneously exercise regulatory, commercial and political powers without effective checks and balances or the agreement of affected stakeholders.

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“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.

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

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FIFA has been approached for comment on the statement and the allegations made by the four leagues.

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