The pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino is growing, and this time, the criticism is coming from inside football itself.
A group of current and former players has joined the expanding calls for major changes at the top of world football, accusing FIFA’s leadership of drifting away from the values that made the game what it is.
Former Manchester United and France defender Mikael Silvestre led the latest intervention on Monday, sharing a strongly worded statement titled “Enough is Enough!”
And he was not alone.
The message quickly attracted support from some of football’s recognisable voices, including England defender Lucy Bronze, former France international Emmanuel Petit and ex-England goalkeeper David James.
Their central argument was clear: football, they say, is increasingly being run without enough consideration for the people who actually play and support it.
‘The Game We Love Is Drifting Away’
The players said they shared the concerns of millions of football fans around the world as they took aim at FIFA’s leadership and the direction in which the global game is heading.
Particular attention has focused on the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, which has reportedly triggered concerns over plans to involve private investors in major football competitions, including the World Cup.
In their statement, the players accused FIFA’s current leadership of allowing the game to drift away from its core principles.
“We have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under FIFA’s current leadership,” the statement said.
The group argued that major decisions affecting football have increasingly been taken without meaningful consultation with players or supporters.
“For too long we’ve seen major decisions taken without players being consulted or considered, and without any regard for the fans who sustain the sport.”
The intervention is particularly significant because Silvestre is not simply watching events from the sidelines.
The former defender serves on FIFA’s 16-member Players’ Voice Panel, a body established to help monitor and advise the organisation in its efforts to tackle racism in football.
His decision to publicly join calls for change therefore adds another layer to the growing opposition facing Infantino.
Players Demand ‘Structural Change’
The football figures are now demanding more than explanations. They want a fundamental rethink of how the world’s most powerful football body operates.
According to the statement, players and supporters should have a greater voice in decisions that shape the future of the game.
“Change is necessary,” the group declared.
“Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football. Recent events have made silence impossible.”
The statement adds to a growing wave of criticism surrounding FIFA and Infantino, particularly over the controversy linked to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project.
Several football confederations and national associations have reportedly distanced themselves from the FIFA president, while UEFA has threatened a possible boycott of FIFA competitions.
Ceferin Turns Up The Heat
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has also emerged as one of the most prominent voices questioning Infantino’s future.
Ceferin has indicated that he expects the FIFA president to either step aside or face a serious challenge when the organisation heads into its next presidential election in March.
The football associations of England, Wales and Scotland have also withdrawn their support for Infantino, further underlining the growing divisions within the global game.
What began as a dispute over football’s commercial future is now threatening to become a much broader battle over power, governance and who gets to decide what football should become.
And with former players now publicly joining the conversation, the pressure is moving beyond football’s boardrooms.
But Eto’o Says Infantino Changed African Football
Not everyone is joining the revolt.
Former Barcelona and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o has mounted a passionate defence of Infantino, arguing that the FIFA president has helped change the balance of power in world football and created more opportunities for countries that were previously overlooked.
Speaking to CNN, Eto’o said the FIFA project could have been particularly significant for African football.
“I remain convinced that for us as Africans, this project was something that could have been incredible,” he said.
“It would have reset the balance of power in football to ensure that our talent doesn’t disappear and end up playing for other nations.”
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Eto’o argued that Infantino deserves recognition for expanding opportunities for smaller football nations and giving more countries access to major international competitions.
“Infantino has changed football. He’s given opportunities to nations that didn’t have those opportunities to take part in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup,” Eto’o said.
“He enabled smaller nations to get seats at these competitions. He has helped our continent. He’s helped our federations to develop much more quickly, and we need to acknowledge that.”
A Battle For The Soul Of Football?
The growing confrontation has now exposed a deep divide over Infantino’s legacy.
To his critics, FIFA under his leadership has become too centralised, too commercial and too disconnected from players and supporters.
To his defenders, particularly in parts of Africa and other developing football regions, Infantino has expanded access, increased opportunities and challenged a system that historically concentrated power among football’s traditional giants.
For Silvestre, Bronze, Petit, James and others, however, silence is no longer an option.
Their message was simple.
Enough is enough.
Whether that growing chorus translates into real change at FIFA remains to be seen, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear: as the next FIFA presidential election approaches, the battle over the future of world football is only just beginning.