Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said Wednesday that FIFA needs a new presidential candidate and sweeping governance reforms amid growing turmoil surrounding Gianni Infantino’s leadership.
A day after accusing the FIFA president of pressing the “self-destruct button” with his now-abandoned plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup, Masters said any challenger should emerge before the nomination deadline with a platform capable of uniting the sport’s six confederations.
Speaking ahead of the Premier League season opener, Masters said the latest crisis had underscored the need to reassess FIFA’s power structure and strengthen its governance.
“I think that what obviously needs to happen now is another candidate needs to emerge within the deadline (ahead of the March 18 election) with a new offer, a different offer that can hopefully unify the confederations,” Masters told reporters.
“And I do think that part of that offer should be to look at reform, governance reform.”
