Europe's Top Football Leagues Demand Structural Reforms at FIFA Over Leadership Concerns

On September 25, 2026, the four major European football leagues—the Bundesliga, Premier League, Serie A, and La Liga—jointly called for significant governance reforms within FIFA, signaling deep dissatisfaction with the current leadership under President Gianni Infantino. The four league heads, including Bundesliga Managing Director Marc Lenz, penned a historic letter titled "To Unite the Sport, FIFA Must Reform," addressing what they describe as a fundamental leadership crisis threatening football's core principles.

While Infantino's name is not directly mentioned, the letter clearly critiques his leadership style, especially his controversial efforts to commercialize World Cup rights by involving external investors. The leagues accuse the current management of promoting exploitative ideas instead of safeguarding the sport from undue commercial influence.

Their demands involve three key reforms: ensuring genuine stakeholder input in FIFA's decision-making processes, implementing evidence-based decisions, and protecting FIFA’s role as the guardian of football against commercial interests. Additionally, they urge the next FIFA president, to be elected in March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco, to establish an independent commission within 100 days to review recent governance issues and to publish a public report within six months.

Despite UEFA explicitly calling for Infantino's resignation, he remains the sole candidate for re-election. The leagues, however, are not seeking his immediate removal but instead emphasize systemic reform to address governance concerns.

This unprecedented unity among Europe's top leagues marks a notable moment of pressure on FIFA to rethink its leadership and governance models. The leagues stress that reforms must go beyond superficial changes to restore faith in football’s global governing body and ensure that football's future is protected from exploitative commercial practices.