Players call for change at Fifa as Silvestre leads statement against Gianni Infantino
A number of current and former footballers publicly united against Fifa president Gianni Infantino in a statement posted on X on Monday, 25 August 2026, saying "change is necessary" at the head of the global governing body. Former Manchester United and France defender Mikael Silvestre, who sits on Fifa's Players' Voice Panel, issued the message titled "Enough is Enough!".
Infantino was appointed Fifa president in 2016, and the players' statement was shared on social media by England defender Lucy Bronze, France 1998 World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit and former England goalkeeper David James. The intervention followed Infantino's controversial plan to sell stakes in competitions, including the World Cup, and the statement said players "share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world".
The statement criticised how Fifa operates and included the lines: "We have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under Fifa's current leadership. "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." The authors said those developments made continued silence impossible.
It called explicitly for collective action from all levels of the sport and set out a demand for "structural change" at Fifa, saying players and fans should have a "real, direct say" in how the sport is run. The declaration added: "Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership's ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football. "Recent events have made silence impossible."
Infantino has faced sustained pressure in recent weeks amid backlash from several confederations linked to the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) controversy, and numerous national governing bodies, including the football associations of England, Wales and Scotland, have withdrawn support. The statement by Silvestre represented a public challenge to Fifa from within the game's player community.
Silvestre's involvement is notable because he sits on the 16-strong Players' Voice Panel, a body formed by Fifa to monitor and advise on tackling racism in football. The panel's membership and his role were highlighted in coverage of the statement's impact on governance debates within the organisation.
Former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Association, offered a contrasting view and told CNN on Monday that he does not believe Infantino has "done anything wrong". "I remain convinced that for us as Africans, this project was something that could have been incredible," Eto'o said. "It would have reset the balance of power in football to ensure that our talent doesn't disappear and end up playing for other nations. "Infantino has changed football. He's given opportunities to nations that didn't have those opportunities to take part in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup He enabled smaller nations to get seats at these competitions. He has helped our continent. He's helped our federations to develop much more quickly, and we need to acknowledge that."
Uefa has threatened to boycott all Fifa competitions, and Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said he expects Infantino to resign or face a challenge in an election next March.
