RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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A number of current and former footballers have united against under-pressure Fifa president Gianni Infantino, stating "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 a statement on X , external on Monday in a post he titled "Enough is Enough!".
The statement has been shared on social media by the likes of England defender Lucy Bronze, France's 1998 World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit, and former England goalkeeper David James.
It follows Infantino's controversial plan to sell stakes in competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors, with the statement saying players "share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world".
Criticising how the governing body operates, it added: "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."
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"Recent events have made silence impossible."
It also called for unity from "grassroots to the top of the game" in support of "structural change" at Fifa, with players and fans getting a "real, direct say" in how the sport is run.
Infantino has faced sustained pressure to his leadership in recent weeks, with backlash from several confederations in response to the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) controversy.
Uefa has threatened to boycott all Fifa competitions, with the European confederation's president Aleksander Ceferin saying he expects Infantino to resign or face a challenge in an election next March. Numerous national governing bodies, including the football associations of England, Wales and Scotland, have withdrawn support.
Silvestre's involvement represents a challenge from within Fifa itself, with the 16-strong Players' Voice Panel having been formed by the governing body to monitor and advise on tackling racism in football.
Infantino has, however, found support from former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Association, who doesn't believe the Fifa leader has "done anything wrong".
"I remain convinced that for us as Africans, this project was something that could have been incredible," Eto'o told CNN , external on Monday.
"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."
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