A coalition of former international football stars, including 1998 World Cup winners Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu, Robert Pires, and others such as England's Lucy Bronze and Didier Drogba, publicly called for immediate change at FIFA on August 24, 2026. The group sharply criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s leadership, accusing him of being "blinded by power" and calling for structural reforms to give players and fans a direct voice in football governance [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
The players opposed Infantino's abandoned proposal to create a commercial body to manage FIFA tournament rights, which would have sold a 20% stake to private investors. They argued such moves prioritize commercial interests over the sport’s core values. The statement said, "Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership's ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football" [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking a fourth four-year term in the March 2027 election. Several major regional bodies, including UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF, have also expressed opposition and are considering a vote of no confidence against him before the vote [1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10].
However, not all football authorities share this view. Samuel Eto'o, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Cameroon Football Federation, publicly backed Infantino. Eto'o attributed the opposition to political maneuvering ahead of the elections, stating, "I think all these things are happening because of the timing. There's an election coming up where Gianni Infantino is standing. All of this has happened because there's an election coming up. That's all there is." He further added, "I don’t think that President Gianni Infantino has done anything wrong" and praised Infantino for expanding opportunities to smaller and historically marginalized nations [11, 8, 9, 7, 10].
Despite the mounting pressure and calls for immediate reforms from former players and confederations, Infantino showed no indication of stepping down [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
The former players’ group emphasized the need for a new era with a meaningful say for players and fans. They said, "We call on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of our sport. There are good people within FIFA who want to rebuild trust, but a new era requires a structural change: a real, direct say for players and fans in how football is run" [7].
Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election remains scheduled for March 2027. The months ahead will likely see intensified debate and potential votes within FIFA’s member associations, which total 211 worldwide.
