European soccer leagues demand FIFA governance reform amid Infantino crisis

European soccer leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, have called for urgent governance reform at FIFA, citing a "crisis" of confidence in President Gianni Infantino. The leagues described Infantino's abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup as "dangerous" and a sign of deeper issues within the governing body.

FIFA attempted to present a unified front amid the turbulence caused by Infantino's controversial plans, with calls for him to step down. In a statement, FIFA said Secretary-General Mattias Grafström and members of the management board in attendance in Rabat had given their support to the embattled president. Referring to the plans to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the statement said "mistakes made were acknowledged" and that the "process should have been handled differently." FIFA said a letter had been sent to FIFA Council and member associations apologizing for errors and committed to "ensure they do not happen again."

Grafström’s stated support was notable after he distanced himself from Infantino’s now abandoned plans in an email to all FIFA staff calling the last week a "sad and reproachable series of events." FIFA said Infantino had also reaffirmed his support for his secretary general. World soccer’s governing body said the FFE proposal was "now off the table."

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters criticized Infantino's World Cup sell-off plan, saying the organization has "pressed the self-destruct button" by delivering "a self-inflicted wound." Infantino is under increasing pressure over his attempt, later abandoned, to create a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all FIFA competitions, including the World Cups, with 21% to be sold off to a private investment company. FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was aborted after widespread criticism from several confederations, led by Uefa, which has threatened a boycott of all FIFA competitions.

Masters backed the English Football Association's withdrawal of support for Infantino and called for a new candidate for the presidency who could unify football. "This is a problem of Fifa's making," Masters told BBC Sport. "This is a self-inflicted wound. The organisation has pressed the self-destruct button, and the consequence of that flow into the solutions that need to be found."

Last week, FIFA and Infantino were accused of breaking trust "through deception", in an open letter issued by Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation. The letter, signed by the presidents and general secretaries of the three regional governing bodies, said recent controversy over the FFE proposal was fundamentally about "the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it."

Earlier this month, Infantino received the backing of senior executives in a meeting in Morocco. The confederations of Africa, South America and Oceania have also backed Infantino. The English Football Association is one of a number of organisations who have withdrawn their support for Infantino - who is scheduled to stand for a fourth term as president in March - a position backed by the Premier League.

"I don't think the Fifa should be ever contemplating selling off a stake in the World Cup," Masters told BBC Sport. "They're a not-for-profit organisation. They should really be holding that competition in trust for the future of football. "I think it's a bad idea, and the FA have taken the right position regards to Gianni [Infantino]."

At present there is no candidate who has put their name forward to stand against Infantino, before a November 18 deadline. While Masters would not be drawn on specific people, he did express a hope for a "unity candidate" to come forward who could bring together all federations to work together to bring positive change at FIFA.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he no longer has confidence in Infantino, stating the FIFA president committed a "fatal" governance failure by not consulting senior advisers.