Europe's Big Four Football Leagues Issue Joint Statement Calling for FIFA Governance Reform, Pressuring Infantino

▲ FIFA President Gianni Infantino

Europe's top four professional football leagues, including the English Premier League, have urged FIFA to reform its governance structure in connection with the controversy surrounding FIFA President Gianni Infantino's push for the "privatization of the World Cup."

The Associated Press reported that "the Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A, and Germany's Bundesliga issued a joint statement demanding a massive structural and governance overhaul of FIFA."

The four major European leagues are members of European Leagues, and they previously filed a formal complaint with the European Commission in Brussels in 2023 regarding FIFA's abusive governance standards.

In the statement, the four leagues criticized that "the football world has suffered from one of the most severe abuses of power in FIFA's history," adding that "far from preventing the abuse of power, the FIFA president actively pursued it with exploitative ideas."

They went on to emphasize that "in recent years, the longstanding foundations of football have been threatened by fundamental governance issues," and that "now is the time to decide not only who will lead FIFA, but also how FIFA should be run."

Previously, President Infantino faced fierce backlash from the football community and withdrew plans after attempting to establish the USD 20 billion, or approximately 27 trillion won, "FIFA Forward Enterprise" alongside private investors last July to sell off the World Cup's commercial rights.

The four major European leagues raised their voices, stating, "FIFA's problems extend beyond the role of a single individual," and asking, "Is it reasonable for the FIFA president to simultaneously monopolize regulatory, commercial, and political power without effective checks and balances?"

Marking his 10th year in office this year, President Infantino faces his greatest crisis yet due to this situation.

However, FIFA officials stated that he plans to run in next year's presidential election to extend his term until 2031.

The candidate registration deadline for the upcoming FIFA presidential election is November 18, and the final vote is scheduled to take place in Morocco next year.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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