A group of former international players, including World Cup winners and FIFA legends, called Monday for sweeping changes at soccer's governing body, accusing President Gianni Infantino's leadership of losing sight of the game's core values as pressure mounts on him ahead of next year's election.
The group, which includes several former World Cup champions, said FIFA needs a new era of accountability and a greater role for players and fans in how the sport is governed.
"We share the exact same concerns as the millions of fans around the world," former France World Cup winners Emmanuel Petit, Bixente Lizarazu and Robert Pires, former U.S. women's world champion Briana Scurry and former England international Lucy Bronze said in a joint statement.
"Like them, we have watched the game we love drift away from its core values under FIFA's current leadership. Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership's ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football."
The statement adds to growing criticism of Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking another term despite opposition from some of world football's most powerful regional bodies.
