European Leagues question FIFA governance amid fallout from abandoned project

The Association of European Professional Football Leagues released a statement on Wednesday questioning FIFA’s management and decision-making amid the fallout from the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project.

“The overwhelming rejection of this dangerous idea, and the opaque process behind it, raises serious questions about FIFA’s governance, internal culture and decision-making,” said a statement on the European Leagues website.

The statement also highlighted a research brief shared by FIFA on plans to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.

“As with the aborted FFE project, this new proposal involves an impractically short assessment timeline (just four weeks) and zero consultation with the leagues, clubs and players whose planning and livelihoods would be most affected,” they said.

The European Leagues said that in the face of such proposals and actions, “FIFA must not be allowed to continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions that fly in the face of the leagues, clubs, players and fans whose sustained efforts and investment drive the value of international football competitions.”

The organization said that until there are reforms, “including legally binding engagement with all relevant football stakeholders, the European Leagues will reject the expansion or creation of FIFA competitions.”

Abandoned proposal causes loss of confidence in FIFA

The abandoned proposal has triggered growing criticism of FIFA's leadership.

Europe’s UEFA said the current FIFA leadership had "lost" the confidence of much of the football community, while North, Central America and Caribbean football’s CONCACAF called for "a comprehensive reckoning" with Gianni Infantino's presidency, arguing the episode exposed serious failures in governance and transparency.

Adding to the pressure, FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger distanced himself from the proposal, saying he had no involvement in its development.

He described the decision to withdraw the proposal as "absolutely necessary and beyond question," adding that he believes football should be governed by an independent body operating with transparency and integrity.

Separately, Jordan Football Association President Prince Ali bin Al Hussein accused FIFA's leadership of attempting to link financial assistance to support for Infantino's reelection, allegations FIFA has not publicly addressed.

Writing on X, he said Jordan was still waiting for prize money earned by its players after finishing as runners-up at the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar in December.

He alleged that during the World Cup, he was verbally told that endorsing Infantino would help the Jordanian federation resolve its outstanding issues with FIFA.

Prince Ali said Jordan had not supported Infantino previously and would not do so now, describing the situation as one that “amounts to blackmail.”