The Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A and Bundesliga have called for a fundamental overhaul of FIFA’s governance, accusing the world governing body of concentrating too much regulatory, commercial and political power in the hands of its president.
In a joint statement released on Friday, September 25, the four leagues called for stronger checks and balances and greater involvement of leagues, clubs and players in decisions affecting football.
“A FIFA governance structure that concentrates unchecked regulatory, commercial, and political power in a single position, while relegating affected parties to a merely consultative role, is not fit for purpose,” the leagues said.
They called for a permanent body representing key stakeholders, including national associations, leagues, clubs and players from both the men’s and women’s game.
They also want decisions on issues such as the international match calendar, competitions and employment to require the agreement of the groups directly affected. Major FIFA proposals, they said, should be backed by clearly defined data, independent assessments and public explanations before decisions are taken.
The leagues are also calling for a clearer separation between FIFA’s regulatory and commercial functions, with independent oversight of its ethics, financial and electoral processes.
“FIFA’s role as regulator and guarantor of football must be protected from its commercial function as the global organiser of competitions through robust institutional safeguards,” the statement said.
The call follows the withdrawal of FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise project and a complaint filed by the leagues with the European Commission in October 2024 over the international match calendar.
The leagues argue that the expansion of the calendar has increased the periods during which domestic competitions are suspended, while those most affected have had insufficient influence over the decisions.
They have urged all candidates for the FIFA presidency to endorse their principles and establish an independently chaired Governance Convention within the first 100 days of the next presidential term.
The convention should bring together representatives from across the football community and publish its conclusions within six months.
The leagues also want FIFA’s financial, legal, communications, marketing and development resources to remain strictly neutral during the presidential election.
“Football needs a FIFA that is a strong institution. But strength must be accompanied by accountability,” they said.
