Players and fans must have a direct voice in how football is run, Mikael Silvestre points out.
On Monday, sports legends including Mikael Silvestre, Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu, and Didier Drogba demanded a necessary change in the governance of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
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In a letter posted on social media by Silvestre, they said, “Enough is Enough!” in reaction to FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s idea of selling private investors a stake in World Cup rights.
In their letter, the footballers denounced that major decisions for the sport have been made “for too long” without taking players and fans into account. Their letter is presented below.
BOMBSHELL! Sky News exposes a massive FIFA scandle.
Infantino secretly planned to sell a $4.2B World Cup stake to private equity overseen by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared.
He also tried to launch a crypto venture with Trump’s son. Pure corruption! https://t.co/hWGhFo0bcc pic.twitter.com/FmGNSpLbZA
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) August 1, 2026
“As players, football has given us everything, and we have given our lives to it. Between us, we have played on its greatest stages and worn our national shirts with pride. But we know that none of our achievements would’ve been possible without the fans, whose passion and commitment is the foundation of this game.
We share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world. Like them, we have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under FIFA’s current leadership.
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.
Change is necessary. 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.
Enough is enough.
We call on all stakeholders to step forward and help reshape the future of our sport. This is a call that unites us all, from the grassroots to the top of the game.
There are good people within FIFA who want to rebuild trust, but a new era requires a structural change: a real, direct say for players and fans in how football is run.
Those who step onto the pitch and those who sit in the stands deserve a genuine voice to help reshape football’s future together. The football community has been quiet for too long. For the fans, for the players, and for the good of the game, we will be silent no more.”
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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