Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga and Serie A Demand Deep FIFA Reform

Four of Europe's most powerful leagues drew a line in the sand with Gianni Infantino. The Premier League, LaLiga, the Bundesliga and Serie A signed a joint statement on Friday demanding deep reform at FIFA, just after the governing body was forced to scrap its plan to sell World Cup stakes to private investors.

The project, known internally as "FIFA Forward Enterprise," collapsed under the weight of the backlash it triggered. But the four leagues aren't satisfied with simply seeing the idea shelved: they want this moment to force a root-and-branch change in how FIFA operates internally.

The joint statement doesn't pull any punches. It directly accuses the FIFA president of having "actively promoted abusive initiatives instead of protecting football from them." And it warns of something important: even though the sale plan was withdrawn, the conditions that made it possible in the first place remain untouched within the organization.

"In recent years, the historic foundations of football have been threatened by a fundamental governance problem. The president of FIFA has actively promoted abusive initiatives instead of protecting football from them."Joint statement from the four leagues

This summer, with the World Cup underway, brought more than one controversy tied to FIFA and Infantino. Among them was the decision to overturn the red card shown to United States men's national team forward Folarin Balogun. Episodes like that, the leagues say, are exactly what they want to stop happening unchecked.

Cosmetic Fixes Won't Cut It

The leagues acknowledge that Infantino has already admitted reform is needed. But they warn that superficial procedural tweaks won't be enough. They're calling for something deeper: clear constitutional limits within FIFA, and individual disciplinary matters kept entirely free from any political interference.

The statement also takes aim at what it calls FIFA's "relentless expansionism," pointing out that the organization makes decisions that directly affect leagues and clubs without consulting them, such as expanding the international match calendar.

The four leagues' concrete proposal calls for building a new governance structure, with a permanent body representing the key stakeholders: national federations, leagues, clubs and players, across both the men's and women's game. That body should receive full information on any new initiative and have a genuine role in FIFA's decision making, not just a symbolic one.

They're also demanding that any future FIFA plan be backed by clear justification, supporting data and an independent assessment, all of which should be published before anything is approved. No more last-minute surprises like the one that came with the World Cup sale project.

Infantino's plan didn't only run into resistance from the leagues. UEFA also pushed back hard, going as far as threatening to boycott FIFA tournaments if the project moved forward. CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation did the same. UEFA vice president Laura McAllister was blunt when addressing the issue recently.

"It struck right at the heart of the principles of the game."Laura McAllister

UEFA, in fact, is already pursuing legal action over the whole episode. Meanwhile, Infantino has confirmed he will seek reelection as FIFA president. That vote is scheduled for March, at the FIFA Congress to be held in Morocco.