Footballers Call for Infantino to Resign Over Fifa Leadership
- A group of current and former footballers, some serving as Fifa's own ambassadors through its Legends programme, has publicly called for Gianni Infantino to step down, using the
- Former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikaël Silvestre, who sits on Fifa's 16-member players' voice panel, is among those associated with the statement.
- Samuel Eto'o has defended Infantino, claiming the president has not 'done anything wrong', leaving player opinion publicly divided.
A group of influential current and former footballers has publicly called for change at the top of Fifa, declaring "enough is enough" in a statement that has circulated widely on social media and piled fresh pressure on president Gianni Infantino.
Legends turn on their patron
The intervention carries particular weight because several of those behind its circulation have previously served Fifa in an ambassadorial capacity through its own "Fifa Legends" programme. Among them is Mikaël Silvestre, the former Manchester United and Arsenal defender, who also sits on Fifa's 16-member players' voice panel — a body set up to support the governing body's anti-racism initiatives. His involvement places the dissent squarely within Fifa's own institutional network, lending the statement an unusual degree of symbolic significance.
The group has accused Infantino of being "power hungry", according to claims attributed to the Fifa Legends faction — an allegation that, if sustained, would represent a damaging repudiation from figures the governing body has previously cultivated as supporters of its public-facing work. Infantino has faced mounting criticism in recent weeks over his conduct towards regional football confederations, with tensions escalating across several fronts simultaneously.
Eto'o offers a defence
Not all prominent figures have sided with the critics. Cameroon Football Federation president Samuel Eto'o has publicly stated that Infantino has not "done anything wrong", providing a notable dissenting voice amid what has become a deepening governance crisis at the world body. Eto'o's defence stands in direct contrast to the position of those behind the "enough is enough" statement, leaving the full weight of player opinion divided and the question of Infantino's future unresolved.
What remains uncertain
The source material does not identify every individual behind the statement, nor does it detail the precise demands it makes beyond a general call for change at the top of the organisation. Whether the pressure will translate into any formal challenge to Infantino's position — or prompt a response from Fifa itself — remains unclear. What is now beyond dispute is that the dissent has reached inside Fifa's own network of player ambassadors, marking a significant escalation in the campaign against his continued leadership.
