Premier League joins La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A in call for 'fundamental' FIFA reform
September 25, 2026 14:30
The Premier League has joined Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A in a joint call for "fundamental" reform of how FIFA is run, accusing president Gianni Infantino of having "actively promoted exploitative ideas". The statement, issued by the four leagues, comes days after Infantino proposed an external review into FIFA's operations following the controversy over the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme.
WHAT THE LEAGUES WANT
The leagues say FIFA must become "transparent, objective, proportionate and inclusive" and set out several specific demands: establishing a permanent body representing key stakeholders (including leagues, clubs and players) with "a meaningful role" in decision-making; ensuring "evidence-based decision-making" with independent impact assessments for major proposals; and creating a separation between FIFA's regulatory and commercial functions through "robust institutional safeguards". They also call for ethics, financial oversight and electoral bodies that are "genuinely independent of the FIFA administration and presidency."
The statement refers to "one of the biggest abuses of power in FIFA's history," noting that while stakeholders forced the withdrawal of the FFE scheme, the conditions that led to it remain. It further argues that disciplinary matters must be demonstrably insulated from political interference — an apparent reference to the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup after US President Donald Trump called Infantino requesting a review of the striker's ban.
WIDER CONTEXT AND NEXT STEPS
Two years ago Europe's top leagues, together with players' union FIFPRO, filed a legal complaint with the European Commission alleging an "abuse of dominance" by FIFA over the expansion of the international fixture calendar and a lack of consultation; FIFA denied those claims and accused some leagues of "hypocrisy." The leagues say their legal action is a consequence of a flawed governance framework that allows FIFA to use regulatory authority to advance commercial objectives without accounting for impacts on national competitions.
Despite calls from three confederations for him to step down, Infantino has said he will stand for re-election in March. Potential opponents have until 18 November to present alternative candidates; the four leagues say they want any candidates to support their reform proposals and argue that the upcoming election is an opportunity to decide not just who will lead FIFA, but "how FIFA should be led."
SIGNATORIES
The joint letter is signed by Richard Masters (chief executive, Premier League), Marc Lenz (CEO, Bundesliga), Javier Tebas (president, La Liga) and Luigi De Siervo (CEO, Serie A). Last month Masters told BBC Sport that Infantino had "pressed the self-destruct button" by delivering "a self-inflicted wound" over FFE.