English, Spanish, Italian, German football leagues call for FIFA reform

The four main European football leagues – the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and Germany's Bundesliga – called on Friday for a reform of FIFA. The sport's governing body has been mired in crisis since the revelation of a plan, since shelved, to create a commercial company FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would be open to private investors. "Fundamental governance reform is essential to restore clear constitutional boundaries within FIFA, including confidence that individual disciplinary matters remain demonstrably insulated from political interference," the four leagues wrote in a statement sent to AFP. "We are speaking up together, as founding members of European Leagues and the World Leagues Association, because we understand how FIFA’s relentless expansionism affects everyone." The statement comes just days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino -- who has come under fire since the FFE plan to bring private investment into the men's and women's World Cups -- proposed "a consultation" of the national federations in order to reform the body’s governance. "The FIFA president has now acknowledged the need for reform, but it is not enough for surface-leve...