The Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) has called on world football's governing body (FIFA) to take a new direction for its development, calling President Gianni Infantino's recent investment plan, which has suffered a total failure among the public, a “turning point“, BTA reported.
“The KNVB no longer has confidence in “the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino“. We believe that FIFA needs new leadership from 2027 onwards. But a new president alone is not enough. The way FIFA is run also needs to change”, the KNVB said in a statement in Sunday.
The federation said it saw “too much power concentrated around the FIFA president and not enough separation of powers and responsibilities between the president and FIFA administration“.
“The process surrounding the now-withdrawn “FIFA Forward Enterprise“ proposal was a turning point for us. The withdrawal of the proposal was necessary, but it does not restore the lost trust“, the Dutch headquarters also wrote.
Infantino has been under fire for weeks after revealing plans last month to sell World Cup rights to private investors worth billions. After major protests, including UEFA's threat to boycott the World Cup, he withdrew the proposal. UEFA withdrew its threat but is still considering further protests against Infantino and possible legal action, as its leader Aleksander Ceferin has indicated.
From his The KNVB side wants “greater transparency, independent oversight and control of decisions and more publicity, space for criticism and different opinions“. The letter also says that “human rights and sustainability must be an integral part of FIFA's decision-making process. This includes decisions on awarding world championships and commercial activities“. In this regard, the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was also criticized, precisely because of the respect for the rights of expatriates there who worked on the sites.
The federation added that “FIFA must also do “more to combat racism and discrimination and to invest in youth football and the development of women and girls“. The Dutch headquarters is looking for like-minded people with whom to look in the same direction in the search for an alternative to Infantino.