Top leagues demand reform of FIFA governance

The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga issued a joint statement on Friday, 25 September 2026, calling for a reform of FIFA governance. The four leagues are demanding the creation of a permanent body representing national federations, leagues, clubs and players, both men's and women's, which would be fully informed of new initiatives and play a genuine role in decision-making.

The leagues are also demanding that decisions affecting the calendar, employment, competitions and essential football assets require the agreement of the groups directly concerned. They are asking that any major FIFA proposal be based on a defined rationale, solid evidence and an independent assessment published before any decision is made.

A call for separation of powers

The text calls for a clearer separation between FIFA's regulatory function and its commercial function. Ethics, financial oversight and electoral process bodies should have appointments, budgets and powers that are genuinely independent from the administration and the presidency. Candidates for the FIFA presidency are invited to endorse these principles and, within the first hundred days of the next term, to convene a governance convention chaired by an independent figure, tasked with delivering a public report within six months.

This offensive follows the revelation, according to 20 Minutes, of an aborted commercial venture called FIFA Forward Enterprise, open to private investors, which the leagues describe in their statement as one of the most serious abuses of power in the organisation's history. Gianni Infantino reportedly then proposed, on Monday 21 September according to the same source, a consultation of federations to reform governance.

France stays on the sidelines

The Ligue de Football Professionnel was not involved in this joint statement. It states, according to RMC Sport, that it was not approached, and refers to the position already taken by the French Football Federation, which it believes also applies to it. On 10 September 2026, the FFF had withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election. Its president Philippe Diallo had justified this choice by citing broken trust, referring to a decision taken unanimously by the Comex and, in his view, part of a broader movement within UEFA.

According to 20 Minutes, UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC reportedly continue to demand Infantino's departure despite the withdrawal of the FFE project, with UEFA preparing a complaint for unfair management and seeking a candidate to run against him. Gianni Infantino remains, for now, the only declared candidate for the presidential election scheduled for 18 March 2027.

FootReporter analysis: this joint statement marks a change in scale. It is no longer just one national federation distancing itself; it is the four biggest leagues in the world setting out precise institutional conditions for any re-election. The balance of power around the FIFA presidency has shifted from the realm of statements to that of statutory demands.