Lega Serie A, the Premier League, LaLiga, and the Bundesliga have united to issue a joint statement demanding significant governance reforms at FIFA. Titled ‘To unify the game, FIFA must reform’, the powerful declaration warns that “football’s long-standing foundations have been threatened by a fundamental governance problem.”
The statement was signed by prominent figures including Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters, LaLiga President Javier Tebas, Bundesliga CEO Marc Lenz, and Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo. The leagues are calling for FIFA to grant affected shareholders a genuine role in decision-making processes.
Their demands also insist on evidence-based decision-making and a clear separation between FIFA’s regulatory responsibilities and its commercial interests. This move highlights a growing concern among top European football bodies regarding the global governing body’s operational approach.
These calls for reform follow a period of controversy surrounding FIFA President Gianni Infantino. His plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors and his proposals for expanding the international match calendar have drawn widespread criticism. The expansion of the international match calendar, in particular, has been cited as a cause for extra-long delays to domestic football in the early stages of the 2026-27 season.
Further underscoring the discontent, the Italian FA (FIGC), a separate entity from Lega Serie A, had previously formally withdrawn its support for President Infantino. The joint action by these major leagues signifies a concerted effort to push for fundamental changes at the highest level of world football governance.