The football leagues and professional players, through their union, sent a letter to Fifa at the beginning of May. They are demanding fewer matches, an overhaul of the international calendar and new dates for the Club World Cup. Otherwise, legal action could be considered.
2 mins
The World Association of Football Leagues and Fifpro, the global players’ union, have said stop. In a letter addressed to Fifa, they called on the governing body of world football to review the calendar for the new Club World Cup in 2025, under penalty of initiating legal proceedings. Arrival on the desk of Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, on May 2, the Leagues and Fifpro maintain that the calendar of football competitions is now “ beyond saturation “.
Read alsoFootball: Saudi oil giant Aramco becomes “major global partner” of Fifa
These calendar changes have created a “ economic damage » for the national leagues and pushed the players “ beyond their limits “. They ask the FIFA Council to reschedule the Club World Cup and reopen discussions on the international calendar for the period up to 2030. The future Club World Cup, contested by 32 teams, is currently scheduled from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
“ If FIFA refuses to formally commit to resolving the above issues at its next Council, we will be forced to advise our members on the options available to them, both individually and collectively, to protect their interests. proactive way », Indicate the opponents. “ These options include legal action against Fifa, for which we have sought advice from an outside expert », they write.
Fifa takes “ continually unilateral decisions »
In a statement, FIFA argued that “ Club World Cup dates have been set to align with the international calendar, to allow sufficient time between the tournament final and the start of the season in many domestic leagues “. Furthermore, ” a minimum of three days of rest between matches should be guaranteed in order to preserve the well-being of players », Continues the international federation.
But the World Association of Leagues and Fifpro accuse Fifa of “ continually making unilateral decisions that benefit its own competitions and business interests, while negatively affecting domestic leagues and players “. They add : “ Over a long period, FIFA has ignored repeated attempts by leagues and unions to engage on this issue “.
The subject was discussed during the World Leagues “Board” in April in London, AFP learned from a source close to the discussions. The Professional Football League (LFP), on the French side, abstained from the vote for two reasons: its championship is reduced to 18 clubs and the League Cup no longer exists, which lightens the calendar compared to other clubs. ‘others.