Europe’s leading football leagues have joined forces to demand a far-reaching reform of FIFA governance, with the aim of establishing a more transparent, objective, and inclusive structure for decision-making within world football’s governing body. LaLiga, England’s Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, and Germany’s Bundesliga issued a joint statement urging candidates for the FIFA presidency to support a series of changes that would strengthen the participation of different stakeholders and establish clear boundaries between the organization’s regulatory, commercial, and political functions.
The statement comes amid growing concern over the scope of FIFA’s decisions and their impact on the traditional structures of football. The four leagues believe that the current governance model presents problems affecting federations, clubs, players, and competitions. They are therefore proposing control mechanisms, greater institutional participation, and decision-making processes based on objective data. Among their main demands are the creation of a permanent body representing football stakeholders and the implementation of safeguards to ensure the independence of the organization’s regulatory functions.
European leagues demand greater participation in FIFA decision-making
In their statement, the four leagues argue that the expansion of initiatives promoted by FIFA has generated tensions with stakeholders across the football ecosystem. According to the leagues, the organization’s continued expansion and the concentration of power in its presidency have threatened the historical balance of the sport. In this regard, they highlight the need for reforms that establish clear constitutional limits and ensure that institutional decisions are not made without considering those directly affected. They also maintain that individual disciplinary proceedings must remain protected from any form of political interference.
One of the main proposals involves creating a permanent body representing stakeholders, including national federations, leagues, clubs, and players from both men’s and women’s football. This body should receive comprehensive information about new FIFA initiatives and play a meaningful role in decision-making processes. The leagues believe that measures concerning the calendar, employment, competitions, and football’s essential assets should require the agreement of the directly affected groups, with the aim of ensuring effective participation in decision-making and preventing decisions from being concentrated exclusively within the organization’s leadership.
Protecting FIFA’s regulatory role and ensuring institutional independence
Another central element of the demands is to separate FIFA’s regulatory role from its commercial activities as an organizer of international competitions. The leagues argue that major proposals must be supported by a clear rationale, verifiable data, and independent assessments published before any decision is made. According to the statement, these analyses should consider the impact on players, clubs, leagues, and fans, while also examining different alternatives and ensuring that final decisions are accompanied by public explanations. The aim is to establish a governance process that evaluates the consequences of each initiative and strengthens accountability.
At the institutional level, LaLiga, the Premier League, Serie A, and the Bundesliga are calling for the bodies responsible for ethics, financial oversight, and electoral processes to have appointments, budgets, and powers independent of FIFA’s presidency and administration. The document, signed by Javier Tebas, Richard Masters, Luigi De Siervo, and Marc Lenz, also proposes holding a Governance Convention within the first 100 days of the next presidential term, with representation from federations and the wider football community. The proposal calls for the convention to be chaired by an independent person and for its findings to be made public within six months, while the leagues urge all candidates to publish their reform programs and ensure that institutional resources remain neutral throughout the electoral process.
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