Dutch Football Association calls for complete FIFA overhaul

By Jonathan Veal, Press Association

The Dutch Football Association says it “no longer has confidence in the leadership” of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Infantino is facing a backlash to hugely controversial plan to sell stakes in a company to run the World Cup to private investors and his position is under threat.

UEFA has led the charge for Infantino to be replaced, previously threatening to boycott FIFA events, and a number of its biggest members have spoken out against the Swiss.

The KNVB is the latest to call for change at next year’s election, citing lost trust after Infantino’s failed plans.

https://x.com/KNVB/status/2093975924077125913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

It said in a statement on Sunday: “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“The process surrounding the now-withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was a turning point for us.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 Ceferin.

“Not just a new President. A new FIFA.”

The KNVB is so committed to change that is has offered to host an “international summit on the future of FIFA”.

It added: “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.”