Top European Leagues Demand Comprehensive FIFA Governance Reforms
Europe's top four football leagues demand sweeping FIFA reforms, criticizing the concentration of presidential power, overcrowded match calendars, and a lack of governance checks and balances.
The top four European football leagues—the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga, and Italy's Serie A—issued a joint statement on Friday titled "To Unite the Game, FIFA Must Reform," demanding a comprehensive restructuring of the global football governing body.
Central Criticism and Governance Structure
At the center of the criticism is the concentration of power in the hands of the FIFA president. The letter argued that the issue extends beyond the individual currently holding the post, Gianni Infantino, who has faced sharp criticism in recent weeks. According to the four leagues, the problem lies in a structural design that enables the president to simultaneously hold regulatory, commercial, and political power without sufficient checks and balances.
A structure where such power is concentrated in a single entity, while the bodies affected by the decisions are relegated to a merely advisory status, is not fit for purpose.
The Calendar Crisis and Player Welfare
The international match calendar was also a primary focus. The leagues argued that when FIFA expands international schedules or extends periods during which domestic competitions are halted, the organizations bearing the consequences have no real influence over the decision. They noted that only about one percent of professional footballers worldwide participate in the World Cup, yet domestic leagues and clubs globally are forced to pause.
To address this, the leagues put forward three core demands:
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Establishment of a Permanent Body: Creation of a permanent representative body for associations, leagues, clubs, and players across men's and women's football to participate in genuine decision-making regarding calendars, competitions, and player employment.
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Evidence-Based Policy and Transparency: Mandatory public justification, supporting evidence, and independent impact assessments before FIFA advances major initiatives.
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Regulatory Independence: Strict separation between FIFA's regulatory role and its commercial interests, granting independent budgets and authority to ethics, financial oversight, and electoral bodies.
"Now is the time to decide not only who will lead FIFA, but how FIFA should be governed," the four leagues concluded in their statement. "Football needs FIFA to be a strong institution, but a strong institution must also be accountable and subject to scrutiny."
