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09/25 05:46 CDT Europe's top leagues add to pressure on Infantino by calling
for FIFA reform
Europe's top leagues add to pressure on Infantino by calling for FIFA reform
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
MANCHESTER, England (AP) --- Gianni Infantino came under more pressure on
Friday as the Premier League and three other top European leagues called for
FIFA governance reform following the failed plan to sell stakes in the World
Cup.
A statement co-signed with the top leagues from Spain, Italy and Germany said
soccer had "suffered one of the biggest abuses of power in FIFA's history."
It accused FIFA's president of actively promoting "exploitative ideas rather
than safeguarding against them."
The Premier League is soccer's richest and most popular league. Its
collaboration with Europe's other leading leagues adds to the growing pressure
on Infantino, who is facing the biggest crisis in his 10 years as FIFA's leader.
While the leagues did not follow UEFA by specifically calling for Infantino to
step down, their statement was highly critical, hitting out at FIFA's
"relentless expansionism."
"Football's longstanding foundations have, in recent years, been threatened by
a fundamental governance problem," it said. "Now is the moment to decide not
only who will lead FIFA, but also how FIFA should be led."
It is the latest rift between leagues and Infantino, whose biggest projects
have been seen as attacks on domestic soccer and were successfully resisted by
a backlash from European officials.
The big four leagues also are members of the European Leagues network, which
filed a formal complaint against "abusive" FIFA governance standards in 2023 at
the European Commission in Brussels.
Despite the backlash over his controversial plan to sell profits in the World
Cup through a commercial subsidiary, and losing the support of many national
federations, FIFA says Infantino plans to stand again in next year's elections
for a final term in office through 2031.
The leagues in England, Spain, Italy and Germany said they wanted presidential
candidates to stand on a manifesto of fundamental reform.
"FIFA's governance problem goes far beyond the role of one individual. The
wider question is whether FIFA's president should simultaneously wield such
regulatory, commercial and political power without effective checks and
balances," they said.
Infantino's now ditched proposal to create a $20 billion company called the
FIFA Forward Enterprise to run the World Cup with private investors including
the Kushner family, caught the soccer world by surprise when it emerged in July.
The backlash came from both within world soccer's governing body and from other
federations, with some declaring they had lost faith in Infantino as a result.
While he has tried to quell anger, with FIFA apologizing for errors and
committing to "ensure they do not happen again," criticism has not gone away.
The group of four leagues provide another critical voice, just days before the
influential European Football Clubs group meets in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Nov. 18 is the deadline for candidates to enter the next presidential contest,
exactly four months ahead of the vote in Morocco.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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See AP's full soccer coverage here
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