Global players’ union FIFPro and European Leagues have filed a formal complaint against FIFA at the European Commission in Brussels, as the struggle to control football’s calendar intensifies. The move is an unprecedented move, as it demonstrates the vulnerability of FIFA’s position as the game’s dominant voice. At a media conference in Brussels, leaders from the players’ unions in France, Italy, and Norway, along with senior representatives from the Belgian, English, and Spanish leagues, explained that they were not trying to dethrone FIFA or seek financial damages but only wanted meaningful consultation on the calendar and other issues that impact them.
FIFA has been accused of refusing to listen and engage with players, the main labor resource of their industry, who are there on the pitch, creating a powerhouse of European and global entertainment culture. They have received messages that players are playing too much and do not have enough time to recover. La Liga president Javier Tebas, a longstanding critic of FIFA, agreed, saying the unions and leagues are “clearly aligned in protecting national competitions and their players.”
Issues have been raised over the new Club World Cup, which was introduced by FIFA’s unilateral decision to expand the men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, starting with the 2026 tournament. With the first edition of the new tournament taking place in the United States between June 15 and July 13, many of the game’s biggest stars are looking at another extended season, with more games than ever and almost no time off before the 2025-26 season, which finishes with the expanded World Cup.
FIFA has not yet responded to the formal complaint to the European Commission but has repeatedly downplayed the impact of its new and expanded tournaments on player workload, pointing out that it is only responsible for a small fraction of the overall number of games played every season. It has also said that it is the only body in football that redistributes the money it earns to help the game’s global growth.
(AP)
