FIFPRO Europe called on Monday, September 14, for changes to FIFA’s decision-making processes following the abandonment of FIFA Forward Enterprise, the commercial project promoted by Gianni Infantino. The European organisation of player unions argues that withdrawing the proposal does not resolve the problem that allowed it to be developed without adequate involvement from professional football’s stakeholders.
Its demands include an independent review of the FIFA Council’s executive decision-making function and the formal integration of players, clubs and leagues into decision-making alongside national associations. The stated aim is to prevent any single office-holder from unilaterally advancing an initiative of such magnitude again.
Players and clubs demand a role in decision-making
The FIFPRO Europe statement links those reforms to protecting the resources that sustain football. The organisation supports increasing funding for under-resourced confederations but insists that any mechanism must be developed transparently and with stakeholder participation. Its criticism centres on the process used to develop Forward Enterprise.
The report, produced with Player IQ and Football Benchmark, provides a figure to support that demand: players employed by European clubs accounted for 94% of the total player value at the 2026 World Cup. Of the 856 players drawn from that employment market, 451 were non-European nationals, a finding used to underline its global character.
A demand already backed by every region
The call for reform has a precedent that extends beyond the European initiative. On August 6, FIFPRO announced a letter to FIFA jointly signed by its president and the presidents of all its regional divisions. Its demands included voting rights for professional football stakeholders on the FIFA Council and legally binding engagement in decisions concerning the international match calendar or competition expansion.
“FIFA Forward Enterprise is gone. The abuse of power that produced it is not,” the organisation said in its statement. That was the union’s assessment. It also challenged FIFA’s explanation, quoted in the same text, that the project had been developed in compliance with its regulatory framework. For FIFPRO, that defence reinforced the need to change the internal rules.
France withdraws its support as UEFA pursues legal action
The pressure from player unions coincides with the French Football Federation, led by Philippe Diallo, distancing itself from Infantino by withdrawing its support for his re-election in 2027 on September 10. The decision, unanimously adopted by its executive committee, brings the discontent into the electoral arena. Discussions about an alternative to the president accompany criticism of transparency and the lack of consultation surrounding the commercial project.
Meanwhile, UEFA is maintaining its US request for evidence concerning Forward Enterprise from Thrive Capital and Joshua Kushner. On September 11, it asked a Manhattan court to reject attempts by two US FIFA subsidiaries to intervene. The proceedings seek documentation for a possible criminal complaint in Switzerland; they do not constitute a ruling on liability. FIFA has accused UEFA of conducting a smear campaign. These actions add to the pressure on Infantino, although the available information does not establish a coordinated electoral front involving FIFPRO Europe.
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