Europe’s top four leagues have released a joint statement calling for ‘reform’ within FIFA.
Following this summer’s FIFA World Cup, Gianni Infantino attempted to sell a minority stake in FIFA’s commercial operations, until a worldwide backlash led him to U-turn on his plans.
Premier League have now united with Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A in a joint statement between Europe’s top four leagues to call for reform at FIFA to protect ‘the foundations of football’ built on sell-out crowds, communities, players, fans, clubs and leagues worldwide.
The statement addressed the governance threat of this decade from the attempted European Super League to Infantino’s antics, as they called for FFE to be reformed to prevent political inference in decision making on disciplinary matters.
‘Football’s longstanding foundations have, in recent years, been threatened by a fundamental governance problem, whereby FIFA’s president has actively promoted exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them. And while football’s stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, the conditions that led to FFE remain.
‘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, including confidence that individual disciplinary matters remain demonstrably insulated from political interference.’
All four leagues added that FIFA’s future ‘matters to everyone who cares about football’ as global growth will be limited if the sport’s ‘foundations are undermined.’
Questions were also raised about whether Infantino should be permitted to ‘simultaneously wield such regulatory, commercial and political power without effective checks and balances, including the agreement of affected stakeholders.’
Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A iterated that they have issued the statement on the grounds of every league being ‘a steward of a professional system that connects the grassroots of our sport with elite domestic and international competitions.’
The importance of ‘major social and economic impact’ covering industries, jobs, grassroot development and tax revenues was also noted as an important part of the sport’s effects beyond just professional levels, especially when FIFA make ‘major uniliteral decisions’ without thought for the consequences.
All four leagues noted that FIFA governance focused on ‘unchecked regulatory, commercial and political power in a single office, while relegating affected stakeholders to mere advisory status, is not fit for purpose.’
Change has therefore been called in order to create a FIFA ‘that is transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive, built on three core commitments.
They proceeded to explain the three commitments which were:
- Give affected stakeholders a decision-making role – FIFA must create a permanent body to represent key stakeholders; i.e. national associations, leagues, clubs and players across men and women’s football, and provide full information on new initiatives and be involved in decisions.
- Ensure evidence-based decision making – FIFA must ensure that evidence support their proposals complete with rationale and independent assessment published in advance encompassing players, clubs, league and supports, plus evaluates impact on various parties and football.
- Protect FIFA’s regulatory role from commercial function – FIFA’s regulatory role and custody of football must be separate from commercial function through safeguards to protect the trust, legitimacy and accountability. Ethics, financial oversight and electoral bodies must be independent of FIFA administration and president.
Looking to the future, all four leagues called for candidates standing for FIFA presidency to endorse the following principles, and ‘convene an independently chaired Governance Convention representing member associations and the wider football community, mandated to report publicly within six months.’
The four leagues also requested that candidates ‘publish their own reform programme, debate its contents and adhere to fair election rules. FIFA’s financial, legal, communications and marketing resources, as well as its football development funds, must remain strictly neutral and never create an electoral advantage for any candidate.’
Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A extended an invite to confederations, national associations, leagues, clubs, player unions, supporter groups and public authorities worldwide to support their cause in order to decide FIFA’s future to ensure it is fit for football.
‘Football needs FIFA to be a strong institution. But strength must be matched by accountability. FIFA’s authority can only come from sharing responsibility, accepting scrutiny and earning trust.’
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