Football legends criticise FIFA leadership, demand greater voice for players and fans

A group of former international football stars has issued a joint statement criticizing FIFA’s current leadership and calling for structural changes to the way the sport is governed.

Former players Emmanuel Petit, Robert Pires, Mikael Silvestre and Juan Sebastián Verón were among the signatories, who said players and supporters should have a greater and more direct role in decisions affecting the future of football.

“We have witnessed the game we love stray from its fundamental values under the current FIFA leadership, and we will no longer remain silent,” the statement said.

The former players stressed the importance of supporters to the sport, saying their own careers and achievements would not have been possible without the fans who sustain football.

“As players, football has given us everything. We have dedicated our lives to it, played on its greatest pitches, and proudly worn our national team jerseys. But we know that our achievements would not have been possible without the fans,” they said.

The signatories argued that their concerns are shared by millions of supporters worldwide and accused FIFA’s leadership of allowing football to move away from what they regard as its fundamental principles.

They particularly criticised FIFA’s decision-making processes, arguing that major decisions affecting the sport have repeatedly been taken without meaningful consultation with either professional players or supporters.

The statement called for reforms that would give both groups a stronger institutional role in football governance, presenting their participation as essential to protecting the sport’s long-term interests.