Football players union FIFPRO has joined the growing list of critics calling for a radical overhaul of world football, as embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino struggles to hold onto his job.
But the 56-year old’s quest to cling to power received a major boost with the Confederation of African Football giving their unanimous support.
Infantino has faced the full ire of the sport’s biggest superpowers since his controversial push to sell off a stake in the World Cup and other major global tournaments to private equity, via the creation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), sparked a civil war.
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A letter to FIFA member nations leaked to the media saw Infantino and the federation apologise for the plan, but threatened to act against any further criticism and claimed the president still had the “full support” of the board.
That hasn’t stopped the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (FIFPRO) releasing a damning statement expressing their lack of confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
“FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) is gone. The abuse of power that produced it is not,” the statement reads.
“Governance reforms, not a cover-up, are urgently needed.
“That is not merely a governance failure. It is a profound abuse of presidential power.”
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FIFPRO represents more than 70,000 footballers and connects 70 national player associations from around the world.
Their statement adds to the long list of football confederations and associations to have revolted against FIFA and its president, with European body UEFA’s calls for a boycott in the face of the FFE plan forcing Infantino into an embarrassing retreat.
It also comes as Infantino’s push to garner support from “FIFA legends”, a group of footballing icons who have previously appeared at major events to represent the organisation, fell on deaf ears.
FIFA’s claim following crisis meetings held in Morocco earlier this week that the plan, which promised to provide $20 million for each of the federations’ 211 member nations, was not illegal or done in violation of FIFA regulations.
Their statement also warned that the body “will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity”.
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Neither claim passed muster with FIFPRO, who said this was “not a defence”.
“It is an indictment of FIFA’s current governance framework,” the statement reads.
“A framework that allows a project of this magnitude to be developed behind closed doors and hidden from those it affects until it leaks, is a framework that must be reformed, not defended.
“We also note FIFA’s warning that it “will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity”.
“Let us be clear: scrutiny of football’s governance is not an attack. It is the duty of everyone who sustains the game.
“Any attempt to portray legitimate, good-faith scrutiny as disloyalty will only deepen the concern this episode has caused. And an internal review that reports only to the very Council that was bypassed is no answer at all.
“Players, their representatives and the professional football stakeholders must be part of it.
“No institution can restore confidence in a presidency that has itself dismantled the conditions upon which confidence depends.
“Trust cannot simply be demanded. Authority cannot merely be asserted. Legitimacy cannot be proclaimed. Each must be earned. Each can be lost.”
FIFPRO have also called for a series of additions to a Memorandum of Understanding signed only weeks ago.
Among their demands are for FIFA to be required to consult with footballing stakeholders, including the players unions and world conferences, on “decisions of major consequence”, and give FIFPRO a “clear and formally recognised role” that includes FIFA Council voting rights.
Pointedly, they also addressed Infantino directly by calling for “governance and structural reforms that make it impossible for any individual, ever again, to drive unilateral decisions through the game”.
“The withdrawal of FFE prevented an irreversible decision,” the statement continues.
“It did not restore the confidence that made such a proposal possible in the first place. That confidence has now been fundamentally broken.
“It cannot be rebuilt through carefully drafted statements, internal reviews or promises to improve processes. Nor can it be restored simply by announcing governance and structural reforms that should always have existed.”
FIFPRO’s statement is only one of a series of new spotfires facing FIFA and Infantino as the president clings to power.
UEFA, who began the backlash by promising its 55 member nations would boycott future major tournaments should the FFE plan not relent, has refused to back down following FIFA’s statement.
In a statement, the organisation confirmed their boycott remains in place.
They are seeking more from FIFA that the scrapping of their immediate private equity plans, calling for “assurances … that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again”.
“In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds.
“Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the FIFA president [and whose careers depend on his favour] agree with him changes nothing.”
European football’s governing body, which has long clashed with FIFA and Infantino, has the power to stand up to both.
The threat of losing world powerhouses England, France, Spain, Germany and others from world tournaments enough to shatter the value of those events and dismantle the FFE proposal at a stroke.
A UEFA vote of no confidence in Infantino has thus far been unable to dislodge the 56-year old.
However, the support of Africa is also significant, with the CAF accepting FIFA’s apology – a stark contrast to the rest of the world.
In a statement, the body “unanimously reconfirmed its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino and thanked him for his support for African Football, over the years”.