Petit, Silvestre join calls for FIFA leadership change amid crisis

Two former France World Cup winners, Emmanuel Petit and Mikael Silvestre, have joined calls for change at FIFA. The governing body’s next presidential election is scheduled for March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco, with Gianni Infantino still seeking another term.

Petit, Silvestre and former France international Olivier Dacourt criticised FIFA’s leadership after a plan to bring private investors into World Cup revenues was abandoned. The proposal involved creating a commercial company to hold World Cup income and enable outside investors to take a stake.

The plan was dropped following opposition from football confederations in Europe, North America and Asia. The collapse has added to pressure on Infantino, whose leadership has faced growing criticism, although the former players did not name the FIFA president directly in their comments.

Their position was that FIFA’s direction had moved away from football’s central values and that a change in leadership was needed. They also argued that the organisation’s decision-makers had become too close to their own interests to judge what was best for the sport.

Petit was part of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning team and won league titles in France and England with Monaco and Arsenal. Silvestre was a member of the France side that reached the 2006 World Cup final and collected five Premier League titles during his time at Manchester United.

Silvestre remains involved with FIFA as a member of its anti-racism panel. Infantino’s intention to pursue another presidential term means the criticism from the former internationals comes ahead of a vote that will determine FIFA’s leadership beyond 2027.