FIFA authority under scrutiny as players demand influence over football’s future

Gianni Infantino is facing renewed pressure over the way FIFA is run after a group of current and former footballers called for structural reform to give players and supporters a greater role in decision-making.

Mikael Silvestre, the former Manchester United and France defender and a member of FIFA’s “Players’ Voice” committee, led the latest challenge by issuing a statement entitled “Enough!”. The statement criticised the direction of world football under Infantino’s leadership.

It was supported on social media by several high-profile figures, including England international Lucy Bronze, France’s 1998 World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit and former England goalkeeper David James.

The intervention follows controversy surrounding plans linked to Infantino’s administration to sell stakes in some FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private-sector investors. Those who signed the statement said players shared the concerns of millions of supporters around the world about the future of the sport.

The statement criticised FIFA’s decision-making process and argued that football had moved away from some of its fundamental values. It claimed that crucial decisions had been taken without properly consulting players or listening to the fans who support the game.

Its signatories called for “structural change” at FIFA to ensure players and supporters have a genuine and direct voice in the running of football. They said recent developments had made it impossible to remain silent.

The dispute adds to a period of mounting uncertainty for Infantino, who is already facing opposition from a number of continental and national football associations. The pressure is connected in part to the controversy surrounding FIFA’s Forward project, with UEFA having threatened to boycott FIFA competitions.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said he expects Infantino either to resign or face a challenger in the election scheduled for March next year. The football associations of England, Wales and Scotland have also withdrawn their support for the FIFA president.

Infantino has, however, received an important defence from Africa. Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroon Football Federation and former Barcelona forward, has publicly backed the FIFA leader and said he does not believe Infantino has made any mistake.

Eto’o defended Infantino’s policies and argued that his project could have represented a major opportunity for African football. He also praised the expansion of World Cup participation, saying it had given smaller national teams greater opportunities to compete on the global stage.

The African football great said Infantino had “changed the face of football” by allowing countries that previously had little or no prospect of reaching the World Cup to take part. Eto’o also credited the FIFA president with contributing to the development of African football associations.

The opposing positions leave Infantino dealing with criticism from prominent players and former internationals, as well as disagreement among influential football bodies, while retaining the support of a major figure in the African game.