BRUSSELS – European soccer chiefs and the World Federation of Players’ Association (FIFPRO) united on Monday to criticize FIFA over its handling of the world soccer calendar, filing an antitrust lawsuit against the world’s governing body.
FIFPRO and the European Leagues, which represent 37 domestic leagues, jointly filed a complaint with the European Commission in Brussels alleging that FIFA, the global soccer governing body, is abusing its rights as tournament organizer and regulator.
La Liga president Javier Tebas said Monday was “one of the most important days in football” and compared it to the failed European Super League, while Premier League chief Richard Masters said in a statement that football had “reached a tipping point”. . “
La Liga is not a member of the European League but was part of Monday’s protest.
FIFA declined to comment at this stage when approached by ESPN.
FIFPRO, the world’s representative body for professional soccer players, said it had attempted to negotiate with FIFA on the issue but that FIFA “continued to refuse” to consult with them. It also described FIFA’s intention to host an expanded Club World Cup in the United States this summer as going too far.
However, one source told ESPN that it is unlikely there will be any impact due to the short window until this summer’s competition.
“Today is one of the most important days in football,” Tebas said.
“For me it has been two historic days in football. One was the suspension of reform of Super League in 2019 and today we have taken a very important step that we believe will lead the way to changing the governance of football institutions. We will not miss this opportunity.”
Player workload has been a hot topic in football in recent seasons, with players and coaches repeatedly urging organizers to condense schedules and allow players more rest. Last month, Manchester City midfielder Rodri said it was “close” that the players would go on strike over the issue.
“We are reaching a tipping point,” Masters said in a statement.
“The feedback we have received from players is that there is too much football going on and there is constant expansion. The Premier League has not changed its form. What has changed over the last few decades is the parade of international and regional football competitions.”
“Serie A, like other European leagues, has not increased the number of matches over the past 20 years,” said Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo.
“In contrast, FIFA and UEFA have continued to increase the size of club and national team competitions cycle after cycle, and the schedules have now reached a saturation point.”
FIFA claims its most recent calendar, set to 2030, was approved by its governing body “which includes FIFPRO and league bodies”.
When the antitrust suit was first announced last July, FIFA said that “FIFA’s calendar is the only tool to ensure that international football can continue to survive, coexist and thrive alongside domestic and continental club football.”
A source told ESPN that FIFA believes the Club World Cup will have minimal impact on the football calendar or player welfare because it is held once every four years with a maximum of seven matches.
Analysis recently published by Opta shows that City played the most games last season (59), while most teams in Europe played less than 50, with the five Premier League teams playing 42 games last season. That’s four more games than City. League season.
Another recent report from CIES Football Observatory found that there is a slight difference in the number of games players play per season compared to previous decades.
However, FIFPRO said its survey found that 72% of players support a shorter schedule and mandatory rest periods, with 17% of players making more than 55 appearances last season and 30% making six consecutive appearances. ‘Continuous’ matches.
FIFPRO and European leagues claim FIFA is abusing its position as governing body and tournament organizer, saying it prefers its own competitions rather than considering player welfare.
“Enough is enough. We can’t take it any more,” said Mathieu Moreuil, the Premier League’s director of international football relations and EU.
“We now have an international fixture schedule that is beyond saturation… We have been trying to work with FIFA for years without a positive response. Enough is enough.”
This is not the only antitrust lawsuit filed against FIFA regarding international match schedules. Domestic players’ unions in England, France and Italy filed legal action against the governing body at the Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry in June and are attempting to have the case heard by the European Court of Justice.
The case focuses on employment law and players’ vacation rights. One of their goals is to have mandatory rest periods (3-4 weeks per year) for athletes to recover.
Europe’s governing body, UEFA, has also increased its schedule, particularly with the new Champions League and Europa League formats, but has not been subject to complaints to the regulator.
Moreuil said this was because FIFA was responsible for the international calendar and the talks had changed its relationship with UEFA.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report
