Fifa is facing mounting criticism after a chaotic World Cup exposed rule-bending by the organisation and a widely condemned plan by president Gianni Infantino to bring in private investors. Critics, including Miguel Maduro, a former chair of Fifa's own governance committee, argue that the body suffers from serious structural conflicts of interest, concentrating commercial, regulatory and development functions under one roof with too much power resting in the president's office. The article explores what reforms might realistically curb Fifa's excesses and restore credibility to football's governing body.

Suggested fixes include splitting Fifa into separate corporate entities with a "Chinese wall" between commercial and regulatory functions, so that revenue-generating priorities cannot override the rulebook. Another proposal is external oversight, potentially a new global body akin to the anti-doping agency Wada, possibly established under EU auspices with other countries such as the UK joining; Uefa's closer ties to Brussels and the European Leagues' call for European Commission intervention over Infantino's plan to expand the World Cup to 64 teams are cited as relevant context. A third suggestion is to curb the presidency's unchecked authority, highlighted by the fact that Infantino's abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme was reportedly devised without wider knowledge within the organisation.