Supporters' associations and organisations from around the world have launched an online petition demanding the resignation of Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), along with radical reforms within the organisation.
According to the French newspaper "L'Équipe"an international alliance of supporters' associations launched the petition on Thursday via the "Change.org" website, demanding Infantino's departure and a deep restructuring of FIFA.
Read also
Garcia a spectator and Hamza demands his due: "Sport" rates Barcelona's players against Al-Ahly
On video: violence at the Camp Nou: Catalan police eject Al-Ahly fans
The statement accompanying the petition read: "Football belongs to those who fill the stadiums, who follow their clubs and national teams in their victories as well as in their defeats, who travel across countries and continents, who pass this sport from one generation to the next, and who keep it alive every single day of the year. And yet, it seems that one man believes he is more important than football itself."
Signatories include the groups "Football Supporters Europe", "Association nationale des supporters" and "Irrésistibles Français", alongside supporters' organisations and associations from different countries and continents.
The petition follows the controversy stirred by the "FIFA Forward Enterprise" plan, which had aimed to sell a share of the World Cup's rights and revenues to private-sector investors before it failed to move forward.
"Betrayal"
The supporters' organisations accused FIFA of preparing the project in secret and hiding it from the federation's members and from fans. They described what happened as "a betrayal that football will never forget".
According to the organisations, the plan to sell off a share of the World Cup's revenues "represents the latest episode in a series of decisions and policies" they believe have harmed football. They cited Infantino's alleged secret involvement in the European Super League project, the proposal to hold the World Cup every two years and the ticket-pricing policy for the 2026 World Cup, alongside what they described as a culture of intimidation and the concentration of power in the hands of the FIFA president.
The signatory organisations demand Infantino's immediate resignation. They also want reforms that guarantee greater transparency in major decisions, plus genuine participation by continental confederations, clubs, players and fans in determining the future of football.
Beyond that, they call for controls on the powers of FIFA's executive management, and for a guarantee that football's revenues are reinvested in the game and its development rather than diverted in part to investors from outside the football system.
You can discuss the topics and news in greater depth in the "Kooora" forums.