The four most powerful football leagues in Europe are keeping up the pressure on Gianni Infantino with strong criticism - but are not actively calling on the controversial president of the world association FIFA to resign.
“The long-standing foundations of football have been threatened in recent years by a fundamental leadership problem, as the FIFA President has actively promoted exploitative ideas rather than preventing them,” the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League said in a joint letter.
Infantino's name is not mentioned in the two-page letter signed by league bosses Marc Lenz (Germany), Javier Tebas (Spain), Luigi De Siervo (Italy) and Richard Masters (England). It is nevertheless clear who the unmistakable message is aimed at.
Criticism of “relentless expansionism”
"We raise our voices together, as founding members of the European Leagues and the World League Association, because we understand how FIFA's relentless expansionism impacts everyone," the letter said. It is entitled: “To unify football, FIFA must reform.”
Infantino came under massive pressure in the summer after a push to market the World Cup rights by external investors. His leadership style has also been sharply criticized by parts of the football world. He recently reacted to this and offered his opponents talks about possible reforms in FIFA for the first time. The leagues are not satisfied with that.
Superficial process changes are not enough, they said. “A fundamental reform of the leadership structures is essential to restore clear constitutional boundaries within FIFA,” it said. In the letter, the four league bosses not only referred to the failed investor project, but also to striker Folarin Balogun's suspension from the World Cup, which was withdrawn following a call from US President Donald Trump.
Three demands on FIFA
Infantino had offered an independent external review of FIFA's governance as well as consultations on strengthening decision-making processes, including the role of the president. At the same time, the 56-year-old made it clear that he wanted to continue leading FIFA. There is no talk of foregoing a candidacy for a fourth term in Congress in March 2027. This is what his critics around UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin are demanding.
The leagues are explicitly demanding three points from the FIFA leadership: real participation for affected stakeholders in decisions, ensuring evidence-based decision-making and protecting FIFA as the guardian of football from commercial interests. The president, elected on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco, is expected to set up an independent commission within 100 days and submit a public report within six months.
No opposing candidate so far
As of now, Infantino is the only candidate running next year. UEFA and the football associations from North and Central America have been pursuing a tough opposition against Infantino for several weeks. However, they have not yet been able to name an opposing candidate for the presidential election.
In this context, it is surprising that the leagues refrained from publicly demanding Infantino's resignation. This attitude has long been a consensus among some European representatives. «He should go. “No ifs or buts,” said the influential DFB Vice President Hans-Joachim Watzke recently about Infantino. President Bernd Neuendorf made a similar statement.
Even the Spanish league boss Tebas aggressively called for Infantino's resignation back in August. “The problem is a model of association leadership that concentrates power, weakens control mechanisms and marginalizes those who are directly affected by the decisions,” Tebas raged at the time.
