KEIR RADNEDGE COMMENTARY —- The Dutch football federation has followed up its withdrawal of confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino by proposing it hosts an international summit in Amsterdam to reshape the future governance of world football.

Ahead of FIFA’s March 2027 presidential elections, the KNVB argues that simply replacing the president is insufficient. It believes the institutional architecture of global football administration requires root-and-branch reform.

The breaking point for the KNVB, as with the European, Central/North American Asian confederations, was a series of controversial decisions but most notably Infantino’s attempt to rush through the multi-million-dollar sale of FIFA event rights to commercial investors.

In an official 3,000-plus-word letter sent to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, the Dutch governing body expressed concern over an excessive concentration of power around the FIFA presidency and a breakdown in the separation between administration and political oversight.

The latter was signed by KNVB president Frank Paauw and general secretary Gijs de Jong.

As one of FIFA’s founding members in 1904, the KNVB stated that its initial support for Infantino was never unconditional. In domestic reporting by Dutch media, De Jong insisted to national broadcaster NOS that Infantino represented the past rather than the future.

De Jong also cautioned that Infantino would not be welcome at the proposed Amsterdam summit, reiterating that the meeting’s aim is to decide the future direction of football governance rather than to individual personalities.

Rather than framing the reform agenda as a European decree, the KNVB envisions a collaborative global dialogue involving FIFA’s 211 member associations and confederations. The proposed summit in Amsterdam aims to establish structural principles before selecting new leadership.

Key points

The KNVB’s vision rests on three key pillars:

1, Governance and Oversight: Restructuring the FIFA Council, establishing independent checks and balances, and creating a dedicated FIFA Youth Council to give younger generations a permanent voice;

2, Social Responsibility: Mandating human rights, sustainability criteria, and anti-discrimination protocols in all commercial choices and World Cup hosting decisions, guided by a universal Code of Football; and

3, Financial Reinvestment: Directing up to 90 percent of FIFA’s distributable revenue back into global football development, specifically targeting youth pathways, refereeing, facilities, and the women’s game.

The statement concludes:

For us, the way forward should be a genuinely global agenda for world football, shaped together by Member Associations and confederations from every region. It should be built through open dialogue, mutual respect and a shared ambition for the FIFA we want to create for 2031 and beyond. The vision should come first. The candidate should follow.
The KNVB stands ready to play its part in that process. The doors of our Campus in Zeist, and of the Netherlands, are always open to those who want to come together, exchange perspectives and discuss how we can strengthen FIFA and world football for generations to come. We would very much welcome the opportunity to continue that conversation with you and with colleagues from across the global football community.
With FIFA under intense scrutiny, we believe this is a defining moment. A moment not only to reflect on what has gone wrong, but to decide what should come next. For the KNVB, that requires new leadership and a new direction for FIFA. The future of our game belongs to the generations that come after us. It is our responsibility to leave them a FIFA worthy of their trust.

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