Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga Issue Joint Statement Demanding FIFA Reform

England's Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and Germany's Bundesliga issued a joint statement saying football had 'suffered one of the biggest abuses of power in FIFA's history' over the abandoned $20 billion World Cup stake-sale plan, and accused Infantino of promoting 'exploitative ideas rather than safeguarding against them.' The statement said 'football's longstanding foundations have, in recent years, been threatened by a fundamental governance problem' and framed the issue beyond one individual, asking 'whether FIFA's president should simultaneously wield such regulatory, commercial and political power without effective checks and balances.' The leagues called for future presidential candidates to campaign on platforms of fundamental reform, stopping short of explicitly demanding Infantino's resignation. Infantino responded the same day, saying 'there must be a culture of dialogue, of listening to each other and respecting one another' and that his Sep 21 reform letter was about 'doing what is right for the game,' not generating favorable coverage; he cited 'positive messages' received in response to the letter ahead of the Oct 15 FIFA Council meeting.