14 October – FIFPRO Europe and its European League associations have followed through on their threat and lodged a complaint with the European Commission against FIFA regarding the international match calendar.

They have been joined in submissions by Spain’s LaLiga.

The complaint stated that FIFA had a conflict of interest regarding its role as competition organizer and governing body and that it violated European competition law.

The crux of the complaint is that FIFA imposed its international calendar on players and leagues without agreement or meaningful discussion with them. A statement that FIFA denies.

The complaint focuses on decisions taken regarding the international match calendar and in particular plans for the 2026 Club World Cup which FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association have asked to be cancelled, but also on the 2026 World Cup.

The FIFPRO Europe Council and the European Leagues approved the legal action in July.

They pointed to “widespread concerns expressed publicly by players regarding the impact of an unsustainable football calendar on their health, wellbeing and career longevity”.

They also argue that FIFA’s expansion of the match calendar also threatens the economic and social sustainability and stability of important national competitions, thereby undermining the structure of football in Europe.

Announcing their action at a press conference today in Brussels, they claimed that by refusing meaningful engagement on the calendar with players and leagues, FIFA had “used its regulatory powers to promote its commercial interests at the expense of social partners (players and leagues). )”.

They say that this is an ‘abuse of dominance’ and violates EU law, citing recent case law in the EU courts, including the European Court of Justice’s decisions in the ‘Super League’ and ‘Diarra’ cases.

They also argued that “it is clear that given the conflict of interest, FIFA must carry out its regulatory functions in a transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate manner”, and that they had no other choice but to pursue FIFA through the agreement. The European Court of Justice “to protect the European football sector which is a global center of culture and entertainment”.

Richard Masters, Premier League CEO, said: “This is reaching a tipping point. The feedback we get from players is that there is too much football being played and there is constant expansion. The Premier League has not changed shape. What has changed over the last few decades is the movement of international and regional football competitions.”

FIFA insisted the complaints amounted to hypocrisy, and tried to divert attention by pointing the finger at UEFA for saying it had expanded its own competition.

Ultimately FIFA wants to enjoy some of UEFA’s commercial lunches and broadcasts and the players are just a tool on the way to a larger financial goal, and for FIFA, a more important financial goal. While there is a strong argument that the number of players affected is only a small fraction of the total number of professional players worldwide, there is a calendar impact on all of them, and also a potential economic destabilizing impact in terms of wages and domestic league funding. .

In short, the more money FIFA siphons from the commercial system for their competitions, the less money it gets for local leagues. Europe is the tipping point but there will be a trickle down effect for all professional leagues as competition for limited commercial support impacts the domestic market.

“FIFA refuses to listen and engage with the players, our industry’s main workforce, who are on the pitch, creating a European and global entertainment cultural force, and pushing their bodies to the limit,” said David Terrier, president. , FIFPRO Europe.

“But we have listened to our players. In countless discussions and visits to the dressing room we have received the same message over a period of time, that they have played too much and not had enough time to recover. As the worst season in terms of workload approaches, many have also decided to speak publicly with the same message: enough is enough.”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has long opposed FIFA’s abuse of its powers, and has frequently spoken out against FIFA’s failure to use those powers to protect the foundations of the professional game from external dangers.

“The players’ union and league are clearly aligned in protecting the national competition and its players, who are increasingly negatively impacted by a busy schedule,” Tebas said.

“By introducing new formats and expanding competitions unilaterally, FIFA is acting solely in its own interests, without considering the detrimental impact on the football ecosystem as a whole, including the value of our national leagues, which are the cornerstone of the European sporting model.

“It is important to protect our sport and ensure that decisions are made with all football stakeholders in mind, not unilaterally.”

FIFA has yet to provide a full response to the complaints even though they knew it would happen but they have steadfastly refused to accept a change of position or cancellation of the 2025 Club World Cup planned in the US next summer. The preparations have not been without commercial obstacles as FIFA have struggled to secure top-rated broadcasts and sponsorships, but remain steadfast in their intention to make it happen. The question for the competition is who bears the consequences?

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