'Change is necessary' - players unite against Fifa

The statement continued: "Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership's ability to distinguish between its own interests and what is best for football.

"Recent events have made silence impossible."

It also called for unity from "grassroots to the top of the game" in support of "structural change" at Fifa, with players and fans getting a "real, direct say" in how the sport is run.

Infantino has faced sustained pressure to his leadership in recent weeks, with backlash from several confederations in response to the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) controversy.

Uefa has threatened to boycott all Fifa competitions, with the European confederation's president Aleksander Ceferin saying he expects Infantino to resign or face a challenge in an election next March. Numerous national governing bodies, including the football associations of England, Wales and Scotland, have withdrawn support.

Silvestre's involvement represents a challenge from within Fifa itself, with the 16-strong Players' Voice Panel having been formed by the governing body to monitor and advise on tackling racism in football.

Infantino has, however, found support from former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Association, who doesn't believe the Fifa leader has "done anything wrong".

"I remain convinced that for us as Africans, this project was something that could have been incredible," Eto'o told CNN, external on Monday.

"It would have reset the balance of power in football to ensure that our talent doesn't disappear and end up playing for other nations.

"Infantino has changed football. He's given opportunities to nations that didn't have those opportunities to take part in the most beautiful tournament, the World Cup He enabled smaller nations to get seats at these competitions. He has helped our continent. He's helped our federations to develop much more quickly, and we need to acknowledge that."