Federations say Infantino's proposed review falls short amid backlash over failed commercial stake sale
FIFA President Gianni Infantino wrote on Monday to the body's 211 member associations proposing an independent review of FIFA's decision-making processes and consultations on governance, but officials in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Wales said the steps did not tackle deeper leadership problems amid a wider backlash.
Infantino's letter, seen by Reuters, followed criticism of his abandoned plan to sell a 20% stake in FIFA's commercial operations, including World Cup rights, which was dropped in July after strong opposition from continental confederations. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF had accused FIFA of pursuing the plan without adequate consultation. In the letter Infantino said member associations' positions on proposals or governance matters would not affect their treatment by FIFA and that development and solidarity programmes would continue under existing rules.
Bernd Neuendorf, president of Germany's Football Association (DFB) and a FIFA Council member, dismissed the letter as an electoral manoeuvre on Tuesday. "I regard Gianni Infantino's letter as a transparent ploy to secure his re-election next year," Neuendorf said. "FIFA now seems to have recognised that changes are essential. However, Gianni Infantino is definitely not the right person to lead a reform process. He has squandered all credibility."
The Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said elements of the proposals mirrored reforms it had urged but that trust had not been restored, and it has called for Infantino to be replaced by 2027. The KNVB, one of FIFA's founding members, last month proposed hosting an international summit in Amsterdam aimed at overhauling FIFA. "The proposed actions are partly in line with our call for reforms within FIFA. Practice will show whether that is actually the case," a Dutch FA spokesperson was quoted as saying by Dutch news agency ANP. "At the same time, the proposals cannot be viewed separately from the (public) pressure, and they would not have emerged without the current dynamics."
Swedish Football Association president Simon Astrom said parts of the letter matched long-standing Swedish demands but were overdue. "The content of the letter is in line with what we have been calling for over a long period of time," Astrom said. "These initiatives come late, and several of the measures should have been implemented long ago." Astrom added that the letter had not altered Sweden's view that FIFA needed new leadership.
Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney questioned characterisations of the letter as a major reform package and restated opposition to private investment in FIFA's commercial rights. "It doesn't actually say reform of FIFA itself. It talks about reform around strategic projects and initiatives," Mooney told BBC Radio Wales. He also said FIFA should use its existing financial resources to support member associations rather than seek outside investors and added: "You're not looking for somebody to sell off parts of the game. The World Cup does not need private equity," he said.
Infantino faces a re-election contest in March next year and, according to people familiar with recent discussions, still appeared to have enough support to win another term. That assessment has shifted some criticism toward proposals to limit the powers of the FIFA presidency rather than an immediate challenge to his candidacy.
