Fifpro Europe and the European Leagues will jointly submit their complaint with European Union (EU) antitrust regulators against FIFA’s international fixture schedule, the two organisations said on July 23, escalating the spat with world football’s governing body.
Fifpro is a global organisation for players, while the European Leagues represents over a thousand clubs from 33 nations in Europe.
The proceedings by the two organisations came after player unions from England, France, and Italy filed lawsuits against FIFA on the same matter in a Brussels commercial court in June.
Complaint Details
In the next weeks, a complaint will be sent to the European Commission, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Within the EU, the European Commission is in charge of upholding competition laws.
Fifpro and the European Leagues determined that “the international fixture schedule has reached an unsustainable level, endangering the health of players and national leagues.”
La Liga of Spain, which is not a member of the European Leagues, has also filed a complaint.
FIFA’s Actions and Criticisms
Critics have accused FIFA of failing to engage others on previous schedule adjustments, such as the creation of a 32-team Club World Cup.
The United States will host the inaugural edition of the enlarged competition in June and July of 2025, with 12 European clubs participating.
Many of the continent’s top players will have to compete at a time when they would normally have had a long off-season, a year before the bigger 48-team World Cup in North America.
FIFA said in 2023 that the 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of the usual 64 games. This change is due to the expanded format, which will increase the workload for the players.
Concerns and FIFA’s Response
Fifpro and the European Leagues are concerned about players being worn out, both physically and emotionally.
In reaction, FIFA claimed that the Fifa Council unanimously agreed on the present calendar following extensive engagement with Fifpro and league authorities.
The spokeswoman went on, “The only thing ensuring international football can continue to survive, coexist, and prosper alongside domestic and continental club football is FIFA’s calendar.”
“Some European leagues, who also serve as competition organizers and regulators, are behaving in a way that is hypocritical, driven solely by profit, and indifferent to the needs of others.” It appears that those leagues favor a schedule full of friendlies and summer tours, which frequently include lengthy international travel.
Additionally, Fifpro and European Leagues said that FIFA had consistently disregarded its duties as a regulatory organization in favor of its own tournaments and financial interests during the past few years.
Given that FIFA oversees both competition organisation and serves as the world football authority, the lawsuit will clearly state that the organization’s actions violate EU competition law and clearly constitute a power abuse. they also believe that this issue has been creating a conflict of interest.
Holabet News is your trusted online betting site in Singapore. Your winning journey starts here!