Accra: FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has been accused of a 'profound abuse of presidential power' by the world players' union, FIFPRO, over his plan to sell stakes in a World Cup company to private investors. FIFPRO, which includes over 70 player unions worldwide, stated that footballers' confidence in FIFA had been 'fundamentally broken' by Infantino's conduct. FIFA responded with a statement acknowledging 'mistakes' in the plans to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) but maintained that Infantino had the 'full support' of its management board members present at a meeting in Morocco.
According to Ghana News Agency, FIFPRO expressed 'deep concern' over the tone of FIFA's statement and emphasized that the withdrawal of the FFE proposal was inevitable but did not rectify the issues it revealed. The union criticized the plan for potentially altering the ownership and governance of the FIFA World Cup and commercializing competitions, all negotiated in secrecy. FIFPRO called the situation not just a governance failure but a 'profound abuse of presidential power.'
FIFPRO stated that withdrawing the FFE proposal prevented an irreversible decision but did not restore the previously held confidence. The union declared that confidence cannot be rebuilt with statements, internal reviews, or promises to improve processes. It emphasized the necessity of reforms as a responsibility for the future, not an absolution of past actions. FIFPRO insisted that football should emerge from this crisis with stronger institutions and leadership worthy of the trust the game demands.
Additionally, FIFPRO has addressed a letter to FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom outlining demands for governance reform. The letter, seen by the Press Association, highlighted that the role of FIFA president is to protect institutions, not to circumvent them. FIFPRO argued that the World Cup and FIFA are not personal assets but are held in trust for football. The organization also pointed out a 'broader pattern' of decisions made without proper consultation, citing the introduction of hydration breaks as an example that seemed more aligned with potential commercial exploitation than genuine player welfare.
FIFPRO noted its Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA, signed just before the World Cup, but remarked that the FFE episode showed that such commitments hold little value if they can be bypassed by individual actions outside the institutional framework.