Several current and former footballers have applied further pressure on FIFA‘s leadership, saying “change is necessary” on social media amid growing pressure on president Gianni Infantino.
Former Manchester United defender Mikaël Silvestre shared a post on X yesterday criticising the organisation, which has since been recirculated by current England player Lucy Bronze and former goalkeeper David James
Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit, who played with Silvestre for France, also joined the statement alongside Didier Drogba, Robert Pires and Didier Drogba, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
“For too long we’ve seen major decisions taken without players being consulted or considered, and without any regard for the fans who sustain the sport,” said the statement shared by Silvestre, who is a member of FIFA’s Player Voice Panel.
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“Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football. Enough is enough.
“There are good people within FIFAwho want to rebuild trust, but a new era requires a structured change: a real, direct say for players and fans in how football is run. Those who step on to the pitch and those who sit in the stands deserve a genuine voice to help reshape football’s future together, ” it added.
Infantino, who was appointed FIFA president in 2016, has faced a growing number of calls within the world of football to resign over recent plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, which he said would raise up to $20 billion.
The statement, which does not name Infantino directly, comes just a few weeks after players’ organisation FIFPRO called the proposed move a “profound abuse of presidential power.”
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“That is not merely a governance failure. It is a profound abuse of presidential power,” a statement said at the time.
“The withdrawal of [the planned proposal of] FFE prevented an irreversible decision. It did not restore the confidence that made such a proposal possible in the first place. That confidence has now been fundamentally broken.
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“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.”
UEFA president Alexander Čeferin said earlier this week that Infantino will eventually conclude that he has lost his mandate.
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“Every day, there are different discussions. I didn’t speak with him. But there are two options,” Čeferin said on “The Rest is Politics” podcast.
“One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support, and that’s not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches.
“And the second option that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.”
Samuel Eto’o, one of the greatest African players in history, defended Infantino, saying his plans would have benefitted the continent’s game.
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“I don’t think that president Gianni Infantino was wrong,” he said in an interview with CNN Sports. “I think all these things are happening because of the timing.
“There’s an election coming up where Gianni Infantino is standing. All of this has happened because there is an election coming up. That’s all there is.
“[The proposal] is even very good for the African nations, because it would allow us — should allow us if it went all the way through — to truly compete with the big nations,” he said.
