A statement titled “Enough is enough” and shared on X by former Manchester United and France defender Mikael Silvestre has united several prominent football figures in criticising FIFA’s leadership under President Gianni Infantino. The intervention comes as the world governing body contends with sustained backlash from multiple continental confederations following the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. According to a BBC Sport report published Tuesday, the players accused the current administration of allowing the sport to drift from its core values while making major decisions without proper consultation.
Silvestre sits on FIFA’s 16-member Players’ Voice Committee, established to advise on anti-racism initiatives, which lends particular significance to his public stance from within the organisation’s structures. The statement received support from England defender Lucy Bronze, France’s 1998 World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit and former England goalkeeper David James, with further endorsements anticipated in the days ahead. It argued that recent events had made continued silence impossible and called for players and fans to receive a genuine voice in shaping football’s direction.
“Change is necessary,” the statement said. “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 group emphasised unity from grassroots levels to the professional game in pursuit of structural reform at FIFA. BBC Sport noted that the players expressed sharing the exact same concerns as millions of fans worldwide.
The criticism centres on Infantino’s proposal to spin off commercial rights for competitions including the World Cup and sell stakes to private investors, an idea first reported by The Times of London that was withdrawn on August 1 after widespread opposition, an ESPN assessment from mid-August detailed. The plan, which aimed to generate substantial funding, instead triggered a broader examination of governance practices at the Zurich-based body. Continental bodies including UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have issued joint statements questioning leadership decisions.
UEFA has gone further by threatening a boycott of FIFA events starting with next month’s Women’s Under-20 World Cup, while its president Aleksander Ceferin has publicly stated that Infantino should resign or prepare to face a challenger in the March election, according to multiple BBC Sport dispatches. National associations from England, Wales and Scotland have withdrawn their backing for the president. Reuters reported on August 8 that FIFA responded by warning of a concerted effort to undermine Infantino and insisting any leadership challenge must adhere to its statutes and democratic processes.
Some of those backing the latest statement have previously participated in FIFA’s Legends ambassador programme, which The Guardian highlighted as adding internal weight to the call for reform. The publication noted that the group urged those within FIFA who wish to rebuild trust to support structured change granting direct input to players and supporters. With the presidential election approaching, the cumulative pressure from players, confederations and member associations has created one of the most significant challenges of Infantino’s decade in office.
