Petit, Lizarazu and Pirès demand Infantino's departure from FIFA

Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu and Robert Pirès, 1998 World Cup winners with the French national team, have co-signed a public statement demanding that Gianni Infantino not be re-elected as FIFA president. The text, shared notably by Petit on Instagram, is part of a broader movement led by several football legends worldwide.

According to Reuters, the initiative is also supported by Didier Drogba, Juan Sebastián Verón, Emmanuel Adebayor, Mikaël Silvestre, Claudio Pizarro and Lucy Bronze, among others. The immediate trigger: Infantino’s desire to sell shares of the World Cup to private investors, an initiative that has crystallized tensions surrounding his management of the organization.

“We share exactly the same concerns as millions of supporters around the world. Like them, we have seen the sport we love move away from its fundamental values under the current leadership of FIFA,” write the signatories. They notably demand that players and supporters have “real and direct oversight of football management.”

The statement builds progressively in intensity. “Major decisions have been made without consultation or consideration of players, and with no regard for the supporters who keep this sport alive,” they continue, before concluding: “Change is necessary. The exercise of power has impaired the ability of current leaders to distinguish their personal interests from the greater good of football. Enough is enough.”

The former internationals call on “all stakeholders to take action to redefine the future of the sport,” from grassroots football to the highest level. Infantino, whose mandate runs until 2027, appears increasingly isolated in this debate: Samuel Eto’o is among the rare voices still publicly supporting his re-election.