08/05/26 03:51:00
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08/05 15:39 CDT European soccer leagues add to pressure on FIFA president
Gianni Infantino amid 'crisis' meeting
European soccer leagues add to pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid
'crisis' meeting
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
The association of European soccer leagues called for governance reform of FIFA
on Wednesday, adding to the mounting pressure on president Gianni Infantino
following his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
On the day that Infantino reportedly held a meeting with senior staff in Rabat,
Morocco, European Leagues, which includes top competitions like the Premier
League, La Liga and Serie A, described the proposal as "dangerous" and said it
pointed to deeper concerns about how world soccer's governing body operates.
It said it raised "serious questions about FIFA's governance, internal culture
and decision-making."
"Now more than ever, FIFA requires governance reform that ensures that all
relevant stakeholders have a formal role in decisions that shape the future of
our game."
In the statement, European Leagues hit out at the possibility of further
expanding the World Cup to 64 teams and said "FIFA must not be allowed to
continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions."
It said that until there was reform it would reject the "expansion or creation"
of FIFA competitions.
Portugal and Real Madrid great Luis Figo also called for Infantino to step
down, saying he had "debased the office."
Later on Wednesday, FIFA denied a British media report suggesting Infantino, in
seeking support for his presidency, had offered Morocco the hosting of the
final at the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco are the main co-hosts
for the 2030 edition. Morocco hopes to host the final at the planned
115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium near Casablanca; Spain has at least two
contenders --- the home stadiums of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
A FIFA spokesperson said it's "false and misleading to claim the FIFA president
has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final. A
decision will be made by FIFA in due course."
The latest condemnations of Infantino's leadership come after a tumultuous
week, which has raised questions about his presidency of FIFA ahead of
elections in March.
European soccer's governing body UEFA has applied the most intense pressure by
voting to boycott the World Cup if Infantino pressed ahead with the
controversial plans to sell profits in its top competition through a commercial
subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) that would run tournaments.
Even after Infantino's climbdown UEFA said it had lost confidence in FIFA's
leadership --- possibly paving the way for a challenge to his presidency. The
governing body for North and Central American and Caribbean soccer (CONCACAF)
also said FIFA leadership had "stopped putting football first."
On Tuesday top FIFA officials Arsne Wenger and secretary-general Mattias
Grafstrm distanced themselves from the FFE plans, which emphasized divisions
within the organization that were evident when Infantino's senior adviser
Carlos Cordeiro resigned last week and chief operating officer Kevin Lamour
said staff were "deceived" by the president's lack of openness.
Wednesday's summit in Rabat was dubbed a "crisis meeting" in media reports amid
growing expectation that Infantino will be challenged in next year's election
when he was aiming for to win a fourth and final term in office.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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