KNVB calls for a new direction for FIFA

KNVB calls for a new direction for FIFA. - Foto: KNVB Media

The KNVB no longer has confidence in the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino. We believe FIFA needs new leadership from 2027 onwards. But a new President alone is not enough. The way FIFA is governed must change as well.

The KNVB supported Infantino in the most recent presidential election. That support was never unconditional. We called for progress in three areas: good governance, human rights and sustainability, and stronger international cooperation.

We have always remained engaged in dialogue, including when we disagreed with decisions. As one of FIFA’s founding associations, the KNVB feels a particular responsibility for international football. We want to help improve the game from within. But our confidence in the current leadership has been lost.

We see too much power concentrated around the FIFA President and insufficient separation between the President and the FIFA administration. The process surrounding the now-withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was a turning point for us. Withdrawing the proposal was necessary, but it does not restore the trust that has been lost.

The KNVB has shared this position and our vision for the future of FIFA in a letter to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.

Not just a new President. A new FIFA.

For us, this discussion must be about more than Gianni Infantino. The key question is: what kind of FIFA does football need?

Our ambition is clear: a strong and credible FIFA that belongs to football, serves its members and develops the game around the world.

This should not be a European plan for the rest of the world. We want to develop this new direction together with FIFA’s 211 Member Associations and the confederations from all parts of the world.

The KNVB sees three priorities.

Good governance: a better balance of power

FIFA should not depend on one individual. The President, FIFA Council, Congress and Secretary-General each have their own role and responsibility.

The President represents and unites. The Council governs and supervises. Congress decides. The Secretary-General leads the organisation.

This requires greater transparency, independent oversight and room for critical voices. Concrete proposals include a stronger and more representative FIFA Council, a more independent FIFA administration and a FIFA Youth Council that gives younger generations a permanent voice in the future of the game.

Putting football’s social power at the heart of FIFA

Football is more than a sport. It brings people together, bridges differences and creates opportunities for millions of children and young people. That power also brings responsibility.

Human rights and sustainability should therefore be an integral part of FIFA’s decision-making. This includes decisions on the awarding of World Cups and commercial activities.

FIFA should also do more to combat racism and discrimination and invest in youth football and the development of women and girls.

We propose, for example, a global Code of Football, based on shared values such as equality, fairness, integrity, respect and sportsmanship. Commercial growth matters. But money must serve football, not the other way around.

Investing more in football worldwide

FIFA exists to develop football. As much as possible of the revenue it generates should therefore flow back into the game.

The KNVB wants FIFA to work towards the ambition of reinvesting up to 90 per cent of its distributable revenues in football, transparently and according to clear rules. For example, in youth and women’s football, coaches, referees, infrastructure and the development of national football associations.

But cooperation is about more than money. Associations can also do much more to share knowledge and expertise. We therefore propose a global knowledge-sharing platform and more opportunities to test innovations and potential changes to the Laws of the Game.

International football summit on the future of FIFA

The KNVB wants to discuss these ideas with football associations and confederations from around the world. We therefore propose an International Summit on the Future of FIFA. The KNVB is willing to host this summit in Amsterdam, a city with a special place in FIFA’s history.

The 2027 presidential election should not only be about who leads FIFA. First, we need to determine what kind of FIFA we want. Then we can identify the leadership needed to deliver that change.

As one of FIFA’s founding associations in 1904, the KNVB wants to take responsibility for that process. Not from the sidelines, but as an active member of the international football community. Together with other football associations, we want to build a FIFA that once again earns the trust of the football world.

A new FIFA. For the future of our game.

Statement Our Game. Our FIFA. Our Future.