Turin, 25 Sept. (LaPresse) – “The FIFA President has now acknowledged the need for reform, but it is not enough to limit ourselves to cosmetic changes in the wake of the FFE affair: a substantial reform of governance is needed to restore clear institutional boundaries within FIFA and ensure that individual disciplinary matters remain effectively separate from political interference.” This is stated in a joint statement by Serie A, the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga, in which they call for a change in governance within FIFA. “The historical foundations of football have been threatened in recent years by a structural governance problem, through which the FIFA President has actively promoted ideas of exploitation rather than preventing them. And although stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) programme, the conditions that led to its creation remain,” the statement continues. “The future of FIFA is important to all those who care about football, because our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined. The problem with FIFA’s governance goes far beyond the role of any single individual. The broader question is whether the FIFA President can simultaneously wield such regulatory, commercial and political power without effective checks and balances, which must also include the involvement and consent of the relevant stakeholders. More than a decade ago, following criminal proceedings involving senior football officials, the reform process initiated by FIFA itself had sought to address these issues. Yet, once again, football has suffered one of the most serious abuses of power in FIFA’s history.”
Serie A and three other top leagues: “Substantial reform of FIFA’s governance is necessary”
Turin, 25 Sept. (LaPresse) – “The FIFA President has now acknowledged the need for reform, but it is not enough to limit ourselves to cosmetic changes in the wake of the FFE affair: a substantial reform of governance is needed to restore clear institutional boundaries within FIFA and ensure that individual disciplinary matters remain effectively separate from political interference.” This is stated in a joint statement by Serie A, the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga, in which they call for a change in governance within FIFA. “The historical foundations of football have been threatened in recent years by a structural governance problem, through which the FIFA President has actively promoted ideas of exploitation rather than preventing them. And although stakeholders ultimately forced the withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) programme, the conditions that led to its creation remain,” the statement continues. “The future of FIFA is important to all those who care about football, because our sport cannot grow globally if its foundations are undermined. The problem with FIFA’s governance goes far beyond the role of any single individual. The broader question is whether the FIFA President can simultaneously wield such regulatory, commercial and political power without effective checks and balances, which must also include the involvement and consent of the relevant stakeholders. More than a decade ago, following criminal proceedings involving senior football officials, the reform process initiated by FIFA itself had sought to address these issues. Yet, once again, football has suffered one of the most serious abuses of power in FIFA’s history.”