The major leagues of Europe questioned Infantino and called for a deep reform in FIFA

The government of Gianni Infantino at the helm of FIFA has come under scrutiny once again. This time, the major leagues in Europe have united their voices to demand a profound modification of the power structure of the highest organization in world football.

La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and the Premier League issued a joint statement on Friday highlighting the need to establish new control mechanisms and limit the concentration of powers within FIFA.

The European leagues targeted FIFA's model

The institutions argued that FIFA's governance issues should not be analyzed solely through the figure of Infantino, but rather from a structure that, according to their argument, allows for the accumulation of regulatory, commercial, and political competencies in a single position.

In this sense, they called for an organization with greater checks and institutional limits, especially in decisions that may directly affect the leagues, clubs, and players.

The statement also refers to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, whose withdrawal was deemed insufficient by the leagues. They expressed that the conditions that allowed this initiative to emerge are still in place and require a structural modification.

Call for disciplinary independence

One of the central points of the document is related to the need to preserve the autonomy of disciplinary decisions. The European leagues believe that these matters should remain protected from any potential political interference.

The call comes in a context where Infantino's relationship with various international political actors, including Donald Trump, has raised questions about the link between football and politics during the 2026 World Cup.

For the signing organizations, any potential reform should not be limited to administrative changes but should establish clear constitutional limits within FIFA and independent review mechanisms.

The international calendar, another conflict focus

The leagues also emphasized the International Match Calendar. Their main concern is that FIFA can make changes that directly impact national competitions without the affected parties having effective participation in decision-making.

In particular, they pointed out the expansion of the calendar and the interruption periods of domestic tournaments as examples of decisions that impact their sports and economic structures.

The leagues demand greater participation

The European organizations highlighted that only a small proportion of professional footballers participate in the World Cup, while the vast majority primarily engage in national competitions.

For this reason, they believe that the leagues and clubs must have a real participation in decisions that affect the functioning of professional football.