FIFPRO and European Leagues have unanimously released a statement about filing a complaint against FIFA over an implausible match calendar, intensifying the spats with the Football governing body.
According to the reports, the complaint to the European Commission will be filed in the coming weeks. European leagues and FIFPRO feel that the international match calendar has become unsustainable for the national league and also proves to be a risk to the health of the players.
“The international match calendar is now beyond saturation and has become unsustainable for national leagues and a risk for the health of players. FIFA’s decisions over the last years have repeatedly favored its own competitions and commercial interests, neglected its responsibilities as a governing body, and harmed the economic interests of national leagues and the welfare of players,” read the joint statement posted on X.
European Leagues and @FIFPRO Europe will jointly file a formal complaint to the @EU_Commission against FIFA regarding the international match calendar.
Our joint statement ⬇️https://t.co/pfmOC6tokn pic.twitter.com/d74TvUOBCW
— European Leagues (@EuropeanLeagues) July 23, 2024
Due to the vast change in the football calendar, the new UEFA Champions League format and the New FIFA Club World Cup will heavily affect all players involved. Also, the number of matches in the new format had increased from 125 to 189.
“Legal action is now the only responsible step for European leagues and player unions to protect football, its ecosystem and its workforce from FIFA’s unilateral decisions. The complaint will explain that FIFA’s conduct infringes EU competition law and notably constitutes an abuse of dominance,” the statement further added.
The list of participants and the FIFA Club World Cup has also increased including the international duties to the current calendar, putting the player at serious risk with injury concerns in both men’s and women’s games in the 2023-24 season.
“FIFA holds a dual role as both the global regulator of football and a competition organizer. This creates a conflict of interest, which, consistent with the recent case law of the EU Courts, requires FIFA to exercise its regulatory functions in a way that is transparent, objective, non-discriminatory, and proportionate. FIFA’s conduct in respect of the international match calendar falls well short of these requirements,” concluded the statement.
The complaints were registered after the legal action by the England, French, and Italian player unions against FIFA on the same issue in Brussels court last month. FIFA announced that the 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of 64 games due to the new format with 48 teams taking part.
Also Read: Mamadou Fall Mbacke Signs deal with Barcelona from LAFC
