FIFA President Gianni Infantino Faces Dual Legal Challenges Over Governance and Gender Equity

A petition titled “Reboot FIFA” has gathered more over 100,000 signatures and was submitted to FIFA’s ethics committee on Tuesday. The complaint, prepared by the advocacy group Fair Square, alleges that Infantino has abused his power, violated his duty of political neutrality, and breached loyalty obligations through a series of actions linked to former U.S. President Donald Trump and the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE)) scheme. The same day, European Leagues—an umbrella organization that includes the Premier League and the Scottish Professional Football League—broadened a separate complaint to the European Commission, accusing FIFA of “abusive conduct” toward women’s football in Europe.

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Fair Square’s letter lists eight incidents, including the “Balogun affair,” in which Trump publicly asked FIFA to review the red card given to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun at the World Cup, and the awarding of a FIFA peace prize to Trump.

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European Leagues contend that FIFA’s unilateral setting of the 2023 men’s international match calendar extended to the women’s calendar, harming the growth and financial sustainability of women’s professional leagues such as England’s Women’s Super League and the Scottish Women’s Premier League. The complaint asserts that FIFA’s dual role as regulator and competition organiser creates a conflict of interest that threatens player health and the viability of women’s leagues.

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The organization reiterated that the 2023 calendar resulted from extensive stakeholder consultation and that it retains the right to set parameters for its events, including the Club World Cup. European Leagues issued a media release urging the European Commission to enforce EU competition law and protect women’s football.

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“European Leagues is extending the scope of its complaint to the European Commission about the international match calendar to include Fifa’s abusive conduct regarding the women’s international match calendar and related women’s football regulatory decisions.” — Tuesday

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