Sweden Denmark Finland against FIFA's projects

The presidents of the football federations of Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Sports, Glenn Micallef, requesting a meeting with the European Commission. Their goal: to unite democratic sports organizations and the EU against initiatives such as FIFA’s plan to sell private stakes in its competitions through the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project. The three federations, represented by Ari Lahti (Finland), Jesper Møller (Denmark), and Simon Åström (Sweden), express their "deep concern" in the letter, despite the withdrawal of the proposal. "The doubts raised have not disappeared," they emphasize.

Criticism of FIFA’s governance

In their correspondence, the Nordic federations have been denouncing for months "gaps in governance, transparency, and decision-making" within the world football governing body. "Major decisions for world football cannot be imposed without the adequate participation of FIFA’s elected bodies and its member federations," they stress. The three signatories reiterate that "when fundamental choices about competitions, institutions, or the commercial future of football are made without sufficient transparency or democracy, it is the very soul of the sport that is at stake." They therefore call for collective mobilization to "ensure that the soul of football is never sold again." Their initiative comes at a time when FIFA’s commercial projects, such as the one mentioned, are causing upheaval within the European football community. The three federations insist on the need to preserve football’s democratic values in the face of purely economic logic.

The EU urged to play a key role

The three Nordic federations believe the European Commission has a role to play in regulating FIFA’s initiatives. Their letter aims to alert European authorities to the risks posed by projects like the FFE, seen as a threat to football’s integrity. "We must work together to protect the very foundations of this sport," they write. Their appeal follows months of criticism of FIFA’s governance methods, accused of centralizing power and marginalizing national federations. This move adds to other recent stances taken by European federations, which are increasingly sounding the alarm over Gianni Infantino’s direction. The three signatories reiterate that "decisions cannot be made in the shadows or without consulting legitimate football stakeholders." Their initiative could lead to discussions with the European Commission to define a common position against FIFA’s commercial projects.