The Premier League and three leading European leagues will jointly demand urgent governance reforms at FIFA amid growing tensions over its leadership and decision-making.
The Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga plan to issue a joint statement on Friday calling for greater consultation on major issues affecting the game.
The leagues want FIFA to give stakeholders, including domestic competitions, a meaningful role in decisions concerning the global football calendar.
The statement was still under discussion among the four leagues on Thursday, and it remained unclear whether they would explicitly call for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to leave office.
A football industry source said the leagues would demand stronger independent oversight at FIFA and greater stakeholder involvement in its decision-making.
The move follows a legal complaint filed nearly two years ago by the European Leagues Association with the European Union over FIFA’s handling of the International Match Calendar.
The four leagues form part of the association, which represents domestic leagues across Europe.
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European leagues have repeatedly been challenged to what they describe as “calendar creep”, as FIFA considers expanded competitions that could increase demands on players and domestic schedules.
Plans for more frequent Club World Cups and expanded international competitions have intensified concerns among leading domestic leagues.
Infantino has also faced criticism over a proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, including rights connected to the World Cup, to private investors.
The proposal, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise, attracted strong opposition from football organisations and prompted threats of tournament boycotts.
FIFA abandoned the proposal in July following the backlash.
Infantino has meanwhile indicated that he remains open to discussions about reforming FIFA ahead of next year’s presidential election.
The FIFA president is seeking another term and has expressed confidence about retaining his position.
news.sky.com
