On August 24, Beijing time, Petit, Pires, Silvestre, and Veron issued a joint statement announcing their separation from Infantino and calling on FIFA to carry out reforms.
Full text of the public statement:
Like the fans, we see the football we love stray from its fundamental values under FIFA's current leadership. As players, football has given us everything; we've given our lives for it. We've played on the biggest stages and proudly donned the jersey for our national teams.
But we know that none of our achievements would have been possible without the passion and commitment of our fans, who are the foundation of this sport. We share the exact same concerns as millions of fans around the world, just as they do: we see the football we love straying from its fundamental values under the current FIFA leadership.
For too long, we have seen major decisions made without consulting or considering the players, and without any respect for the fans who bring the sport to life. Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership's ability to distinguish between its own interests and the best interests of football. Recent events have made silence impossible.
That's enough!
We call on all stakeholders to mobilize and shape the future of our sport together. This is a call to unite us all, from grassroots amateurs to the pinnacle of football. There are good people within FIFA who want to rebuild trust, but this requires genuine structural change: players and fans must have a real voice to influence how football is governed.
Those who step onto the pitch and those who sit in the stands deserve a voice to shape the future of football. The football community has been silent for too long. For the fans, for the players, for the good of football, we will no longer remain silent.
