FIFA’s plans: What the Infantino case tells us about football governance

Former FIFA and UEFA adviser, finance and football expert Ebru Koksal shines a light on lack of governance, transparency and representation in football governance. Against the backdrop of the Infantino case, she identifies in an OpEd insights that can be applied to the corporate sector as a whole. The withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal may have ended one controversy. It should not end the governance debate. The episode raises questions that go far beyond one transaction or one governing body. Who makes football’s biggest decisions? Who is consulted before those decisions are made? And where does independent challenge come from? These are fundamentally questions of stewardship. Football’s leaders are temporary custodians of institutions they did not create and which should outlast them. Their responsibility is not simply to maximise commercial opportunity, but to leave those institutions stronger, more trusted and more resilient. A board should be where important decisions are tested That matters as football enters a new commercial era. Private capital is not inherently the problem. Football needs investment, which can bring expertise, innovation and growth. But as ownership and commercial structures become more sophisticated, governance must evolve at the same pace. Transformational decisions require equally rigorous governance: a clear rationale, meaningful stakeholder consultation, independent challenge and confidence that the long-term interests of the institution have been properly considered. A board should be where important decisions are tested and improved, not simply where decisions shaped elsewhere are ratified. Independent non-executive board members are an asset This is one reason I have long argued that football’s governing bodies would benefit from independent non-executive directors. The strongest boards combine deep knowledge of the organisation with people able to challenge assumptions, ask uncomfortable questions and bring experience from other sectors. This is not a new argument. In 2023, Women in Football launched our Open Doors Agenda after FIFA invited women to “push the doors” and say what football needed to change. Our response was that the structures behind those doors must themselves be fit for purpose. The Open Doors Agenda called for greater transparency in appointments, genuinely diverse leadership, independent non-executive representation, fixed terms of office, effective safeguarding and reporting mechanisms, and meaningful representation of those working and playing within the game. Term limits reduce concentrations of power These proposals are much more than diversity measures. They strengthen challenge, create transparent recruitment and reduce the risk of closed networks. Term limits reduce concentrations of power. Effective reporting systems make accountability real. Representation changes who is in the room. Governance determines whether those voices can make a difference once they get there. The same principles apply well beyond international governing bodies. The experience of Reading Women, whose team was withdrawn from the Championship after the parent club ceased funding it, demonstrated how decisions driven by financial realities can have much wider consequences. Further down the pyramid, financial problems at Abdulla Al-Humaidi-owned Ebbsfleet United, which led to the club’s suspension from the National League, reminds us that governance standards cannot be reserved for football’s wealthiest institutions. Financial distress rarely appears overnight. The warning signs for Ebbsfleet are well documented. Strong boards should be asking questions about sustainability, risk and ownership before players, employees, creditors and supporters are left dealing with the consequences. How transparent is decision-making? Different circumstances, but similar questions: where is power concentrated? Who provides independent challenge? How transparent is decision-making? And do stakeholders have a meaningful voice before decisions are effectively final? Football has made extraordinary commercial progress. Media rights have grown, new competitions have emerged and institutional investors have entered the sector. Governance has not always developed at the same speed. That gap matters. Good governance should never be portrayed as an obstacle to investment, innovation or commercial ambition. It is what makes sustainable growth possible. It gives investors confidence, improves decision-making and protects institutions from becoming overly dependent on individuals. Most importantly, it protects one of football’s most valuable assets: trust. Football cannot function without trust Football cannot function without trust. Supporters must trust the integrity of competitions. Players must trust the institutions responsible for their welfare. Employees must trust the systems designed to protect them. Investors and commercial partners must trust the organisations with which they do business. There is also an important distinction between consultation and communication. Too often, stakeholders are informed once a decision has effectively been made. That is communication. Meaningful consultation happens earlier. It allows relevant perspectives to shape the questions being considered, not simply react to the answers. Boards and executives must ultimately make decisions and be accountable for them. But having the authority to make a decision does not automatically create confidence in the way it was reached. How are leaders held accountable? The conversation prompted by FIFA should not end with FIFA. Underneath sit the same questions: who holds power, how is that power challenged, who has a voice and how are leaders held accountable? Every organisation in the game should ask whether its governance structures are keeping pace with the scale and complexity of the institution it has become. Ultimately, the measure of stewardship is simple: will the next generation inherit a stronger game because of the decisions we make today? Ebru Köksal is a finance expert and was the CEO at Galatasaray Football Club, as well as General Secretary of the Turkish Football Federation. Köksal was former adviser to FIFA and UEFA. She is also chair of Women in Football (WIF), a non-profit promoting greater equality and diversity in football.