The Dutch soccer federation wants to take a leading role in discussions about the future of FIFA, essentially proposing a new model for the world federation’s operations and making it clear that there is no longer any confidence in Gianni Infantino.
According to a letter from the KNVB to UEFA President Alexander Čeferin, the Dutch side proposes organizing an international conference in Amsterdam, at which far-reaching changes to FIFA’s governance and operations will be discussed. The goal is not only the departure of the current president, but a more comprehensive reform of the way decisions are made in world soccer.
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The KNVB emphasizes that simply replacing Infantino with a new figure is not enough. As it states, a different governance model is needed, with greater transparency, accountability, and meaningful oversight of the current administration.
A central tenet of the proposal is a significant limitation of the powers of the FIFA president. The Dutch federation believes that the president should not be directly involved in the day-to-day operations of the organization, while FIFA’s leadership should be subject to oversight by independent monitoring mechanisms and regularly account for its decisions.
KNVB General Secretary Hais de Jong made it clear that the Dutch initiative is not limited to Infantino personally, but concerns the overall structure of FIFA. As he noted, the discussion should focus on how the federation can function more effectively, how soccer can be further developed on a global level, and how more effective forms of cooperation can be established.
The KNVB proposes Amsterdam as the venue for the international conference, citing the city’s special symbolic significance in the history of world soccer. It was there in 1928 that the decision to create the World Cup was made, a fact which, according to the Dutch, makes the city an ideal venue for a new discussion on the future of FIFA.
Representatives from all continents and, potentially, from all 211 FIFA member associations could be invited to the meeting. However, the KNVB’s position regarding Infantino is absolutely clear. The current president will not be invited because, as De Jong pointedly stated, the Dutch federation has lost confidence in him and considers him “a thing of the past”.
The initiative comes at a time of growing tension surrounding FIFA’s leadership, following recent discussions among European officials in Monaco regarding the current situation. UEFA has not yet officially commented on the Dutch federation’s proposals
*photo source: KNVB
