Sport
Europe's four major leagues demand FIFA reform: 'This must change now'
The Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A published a joint statement against the concentration of authority in the hands of the FIFA president. The leagues demand a permanent body to include them, clubs and players in decisions on match schedules, independent assessment before each major move and separation between the regulator's role and the organization's commercial interests. According to them, only one percent of professional footballers worldwide participate in the World Cup, while leagues and clubs are sidelined during the tournament.
· Source: Walla. Photo as published in the article
The Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A published today a joint statement demanding comprehensive change in how FIFA is run, calling for establishing a permanent body to include unions, leagues, clubs and players in decisions and to separate the organization's role as regulator from its commercial interests.
Four of Europe's top leagues, the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, the Bundesliga in Germany and Serie A in Italy, published today (Friday) a joint statement under the headline 'For football to unite, FIFA must reform.' At the center of the criticism is the concentration of authority in the hands of the FIFA president. According to the letter, the problem does not only concern President Gianni Infantino, but the structure that allows the president to simultaneously hold regulatory, commercial and political power without sufficient checks and balances.
The leagues argued that when FIFA expands the international match calendar or extends periods when domestic competitions are halted, the bodies that bear the consequences do not receive meaningful influence over the decision. According to them, only one percent of professional footballers worldwide participate in the World Cup, while leagues and clubs worldwide are sidelined during the tournament.
The leagues demand establishing a permanent body representing unions, leagues, clubs and players from men's and women's football that would be a partner in decisions on match schedules and competitions, requiring FIFA to present evidence and independent assessment of impact before each major move, and granting ethics, financial oversight and electoral bodies true autonomy from the organization's administration and presidency. 'This must change now, for football,' the letter states.
'Now is the time to decide not only who will lead FIFA, but also how FIFA should be run,' the four leagues concluded in the letter. 'Football needs FIFA to be a strong institution, but a strong institution must also be accountable and subject to scrutiny.'
Source: Walla
