LAUSANNE.- Led by the French Mikael Silvestreseveral former soccer players asked on Monday for a “change” in the FIFAmired in a serious crisis since the aborted project to open its tournaments to private investment, including the World Cups.
“Change is necessary. Power has clouded the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is truly best for football,” said the former French national team players. Mikäel Silvestre, Emmanuel Petit and Olivier Dacourt on their social networks, without directly naming Gianni Infantino, FIFA president.
Written in three languages at the initiative of Silvestre, who within FIFA leads a panel of former players against racism, the text should be widely shared in the next few hours, indicated the former defender of the Manchester United to the AFP.
It has already been shared by the English footballer Lucy Bronze current two-time champion of Europe with England.
“We share the same concerns as millions of fans around the world. Like them, we have seen the sport we love move away from its core values under the current leadership of FIFA,” the statement continued.
There is no direct mention of the project prepared secretly by Infantino to open FIFA competitions to foreign investors, which had to be abandoned this summer due to pressure from the confederations of Europe (UEFA), from North, Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf) and Asia (AFC).
But the former footballers regret that “for too long we have seen how important decisions have been made without consulting or taking into account the players, and without considering the fans who support this sport.”
“Recent events have made it impossible to continue remaining silent. Enough is enough,” they say, calling on “all football players” to take “a step forward and help redefine the future of our sport.”
They ask that “players and fans have a real and direct voice in the way football is managed”, thus echoing the petition launched last week by a coalition of fan associations calling for a “fundamental reform” of FIFA.
Firm in search of re-election
Although several voices have called for his resignation, Infantino remains determined to run in the next FIFA elections, on March 18, 2027 in Rabatto secure a new mandate at the head of the organization.
But if two months ago it had secured the support of more than 200 federations, more and more national associations are turning their backs on it.
On Monday, the federation of Gibraltar It was added to the English, Irish, Welsh, Israeli, Swedish and New Zealand, which have already turned their backs on the Italian-Swiss.
