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See the full story · 3 sourcesFIFPRO, which represents players worldwide, has criticized FIFA's letter of apology following the FFE scandal -Credit:Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Gianni Infantino’s nightmare has just gotten worse, with his and FIFA’s apology for their proposed stake sale in the World Cup , among other assets, not proving enough for players worldwide.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) quickly drew the ire of governing soccer bodies worldwide, with UEFA the most outspoken in its anger at the plan, while both CONCACAF and the AFC also denounced it.
As such, FIFA President Infantino was relatively quick to act as his support collapsed from under him like quicksand less than a year out from another election. The plans were pulled and, following a crisis meeting on Wednesday, an apology was made public .
Infantino and FIFA published an apology letter on Wednesday -Credit:Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images
But by this point, the damage was already done, with one of his assistants having resigned in protest against the plan, fellow FIFA colleague Arsene Wenger having spoken out against the plans, and soccer icon Luis Figo penning a strongly worded letter calling for change.
And while FIFA made it clear in their statement that they would “no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process,” UEFA and now FIFPRO have fired back.
On Thursday, UEFA maintained that its member nations have no intention of participating in any FIFA tournaments , stating, “UEFA's associations were very clear about the conditions attached to the non-participation in FIFA competitions.
“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn, and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.
“These conditions have not been met. In addition, UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. That position holds.”
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Subsequently, FIFPRO, which represents players worldwide, has also released a statement making its stance crystal clear - change is a necessity.
“The withdrawal of FFE was inevitable. But withdrawing the proposal does not erase what it revealed,” it read. “A plan capable of permanently altering the ownership and governance of the FIFA World Cup, and commercialising the competitions built by generations of players, was conceived in secrecy, negotiated behind closed doors and brought to the brink of agreement before the FIFA Council, the Member Associations, players and football’s recognised stakeholders even knew it existed.
“That is not merely a governance failure. It is a profound abuse of presidential power.”
It went on to explain that FIFA’s message following the meeting in Morocco on Wednesday was met with “deep concern” from FIFPRO. “Rather than confronting what happened, it reaffirms support for the organisation’s leadership while reducing a
“It is an indictment of FIFA’s current governance framework. A framework that allows a project of this magnitude to be developed behind closed doors and hidden from those it affects until it leaks, is a framework that must be reformed, not defended.”
FIFPRO labeled FIFA's failed FFE plans as 'a profound abuse of presidential power' -Credit:Abdelmajid BZIOUAT / AFP via Getty Images
FIFPRO also took issue with FIFA’s comment on the aforementioned “attacks on its integrity,” believing that “scrutiny of football’s governance is not an attack. It is the duty of everyone who sustains the game.
“Any attempt to portray legitimate, good-faith scrutiny as disloyalty will only deepen the concern this episode has caused. And an internal review that reports only to the very Council that was bypassed is no answer at all. Players, their representatives and the professional football stakeholders must be part of it.
“No institution can restore confidence in a presidency that has itself dismantled the conditions upon which confidence depends. Trust cannot simply be demanded. Authority cannot merely be asserted. Legitimacy cannot be proclaimed. Each must be earned. Each can be lost.”
As such, FIFPRO has listed four clear demands which it believes represent the bare minimum FIFA must adhere to in order to ensure a debacle such as the FFE cannot be repeated.
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These include, “Embedding the Global Social Dialogue Platform as a real, permanent and structural part of FIFA's governance, not a mechanism to be bypassed at will.” Second, FIFPRO has called for a “Legally binding engagement with professional football's stakeholders on decisions of major consequence, including the international match calendar, competition expansion and other matters that fundamentally affect the professional game.”
It also wants “Voting rights for professional football's stakeholders on the FIFA Council, together with a clear and formally recognised role for FIFPRO as the global representative of professional footballers.”
And finally, it called for “Governance and structural reforms that make it impossible for any individual, ever again, to drive unilateral decisions through the game.”
The statement went on to note that it had been co-signed by its “President and the Presidents of all FIFPRO regional divisions: FIFPRO Africa, FIFPRO Asia/Oceania, FIFPRO Europe, FIFPRO South America and FIFPRO Central & North America.”
Describing the aforementioned reforms as “indispensable,” the letter concludes, “The players did not create this crisis. They will insist that football emerges from it with stronger institutions, stronger safeguards and leadership worthy of the trust the game demands.”
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