Football's global governing body FIFA has reached a point where internal reform is no longer a realistic prospect, argues Professor Thomas Beschorner, an expert in business ethics at the University of St Gallen. Rather than attempting to fix a structurally flawed organisation, he contends that the better path is to dissolve FIFA entirely and replace it with a newly constituted world football association.

The on-pitch spectacle of this summer's World Cup may be over, but the controversies surrounding FIFA's stewardship of the tournament continue to linger. Multiple ethical violations during the competition were symptomatic of deeper organisational failures rather than isolated incidents, Beschorner writes.

Beyond the tournament itself, further developments have continued to undermine confidence in FIFA's integrity. The organisation's Swiss president, Gianni Infantino, faces accusations of abuse of office connected to his re-election campaign. Meanwhile, FIFA — itself a private association incorporated under Swiss law — is pushing to further commercialise football by selling shares in a company that would manage the World Cup to a group of private investors. The proposal is particularly consequential given that the World Cup generates billions of dollars in broadcast and sponsorship revenue, making control over its commercialisation a question of enormous financial stakes for the global game.

The Case for Reform Falls Short

One possible response would be to launch fundamental reforms within FIFA aimed at maximising institutional integrity. This, however, appears unrealistic given that the organisation's difficulties are structural rather than incidental. FIFA has faced similar pressure before: the 2015 corruption scandal, which led to U.S. Department of Justice indictments of dozens of football officials and the resignation of longtime president Sepp Blatter, prompted a round of governance changes including the expansion of the ethics committee's mandate. Yet Beschorner argues these measures failed to address the underlying concentration of power.

Power within FIFA is heavily concentrated, and its governance architecture provides minimal room for the checks and balances necessary to align strategic objectives with ethical considerations. For years, FIFA's ethics commissions have functioned largely as ceremonial or symbolic bodies rather than as effective instruments of oversight. In certain instances, dissenting voices within those commissions that proved unwelcome to FIFA leadership were simply dismissed.

The ongoing dispute over the proposed commercial spin-off has only made these structural weaknesses more conspicuous. The reaction from major stakeholders underscores how little trust FIFA's governance still commands across the footballing world.

The Case for Abolition

If FIFA's capacity for self-reform is treated as a non-viable scenario, a second option emerges: abolish the organisation altogether and establish a new governing body in its place.

In practical terms, this is feasible. FIFA is, at its core, an association of national football associations. Any member association could terminate its membership and affiliate with an alternative body without legal impediment.

Hypothetical thought experiments can often clarify real-world possibilities. What if powerful European national associations — or all UEFA members — alongside federations such as Argentina, Brazil, and Japan, were to withdraw from FIFA and create a new world football association? What was, until recently, an abstract proposition has shifted decisively into the realm of practical political pressure, with UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation now standing in solidarity against FIFA's commercialisation proposal.

Such an undertaking would be complex and would demand coordinated action across multiple actors. Yet the sheer visibility of the opposition signals how serious the backlash has become.

A Broadening Coalition of Critics

The dissent extends well beyond the confederations. The Council of Europe and its Secretary General, former Swiss minister Alain Berset, have weighed in. The Swiss Football Association is actively examining whether to support Infantino's re-election candidacy. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro has resigned in protest.

These individuals and organisations, along with numerous others, have been vocal in their criticism of FIFA. As UEFA stated: "None of us owns football. It is not for FIFA to sell it."

The time has come to take decisive action to preserve a sport in which fairness and decency — both on and off the pitch — are of paramount importance, Beschorner argues. Without structural change, the cycle of controversy will simply repeat itself at the next World Cup.

Thomas Beschorner is Professor of Business Ethics at the University of St Gallen.