FIFPRO, European Leagues & LaLiga file complaint against FIFA for abuse of power

Many players have blamed FIFA for staging meaningless games in a calendar year.

FIFA is now facing a major complaint against them for a tight calendar year that has seen players suffering from exhaustion and injuries.

“Our case to the European Commission is clear; FIFA is abusing its power to dictate the international match calendar and expand its own competitions – and thereby increase its own revenues.”#FIFPRO Europe president, David Terrier’s opening remarks at today’s press conference. pic.twitter.com/nc2gAd98Uo

— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) October 14, 2024

Now the top European League and players’ union FIFPRO have filed a complaint against FIFA with the European Commission as what they feel is an “abuse of dominance” by world football’s governing body.

The European Leagues has been formed by 39 leagues and 1,130 clubs across 33 countries, alongside the European branch of Fifpro revealing that FIFA has failed to work on its role and broke the European competition law for failing to make the international fixture calendar less hectic.

The director of FIFPRO Alexander Bielefeld has said, “had submitted a legal complaint to the European Commission” and called it “unprecedented”.

Who are all major leagues filing complaints against FIFA?

This was bound to happen given the congestion international matches have been brought during the international break. This has seen players suffer a lot and they don’t get a break from league games. Many well-known players have also called out FIFA and revealed they will take action against the world governing body.

“Sometimes nobody asks the players what they think about adding more games,” said Alisson Becker, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.

“Maybe our opinion doesn’t matter, but everybody knows what we think about having more games. Everybody’s tired of that.”

🚨 OFFICIAL: FIFPRO, European Leagues and La Liga have officially FILED A COMPLAINT against FIFA with the European Commission!They are contesting the management of the international match calendar and decisions regarding the new Club World Cup. pic.twitter.com/06hvFqJziS

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) October 14, 2024

The Professional Footballers’ Association joined forces with legal action against Fifa in June and blamed FIFA for an “overloaded and unworkable” football calendar.

The PFA and the French players’ union also wrote a claim that the Brussels Court of Commerce “challenging the legality of Fifa’s decisions to unilaterally set the international match calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the Fifa Club World Cup 2025”.

FIFA’s expanding new FIFA Club World Cup has met with a lot of criticism and PFA argued that “tipping point for the football calendar and the ability of players to be able to take meaningful breaks between seasons”.

Fifpro has also claimed, external “Fifa’s decisions over the last years have repeatedly favoured 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”.

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