FIFPro: Top Players Scared to Grumble About Fixture Pile-up
FIFPro criticized FIFA for playing the backseat on major issues for players everywhere in the world, including aggressive fixture lists.
FIFPro President Sergio Marchi also made news this week by accusing Infantino of running FIFA in an autocratic manner. Photo / Citizen Digital.
By Juliet Jerotich
Players in the top flight are too scared to complain about being overworked for fear of it jeopardizing their careers, FIFPro general secretary Alex Phillips has asserted.
Addressing an Amsterdam summit that brought together 58 national player associations, Phillips stated that many players privately complained of being tired but did not feel able to express themselves publicly. The summit had been convened in response to growing frustration with FIFA’s control of the football calendar.
The match came shortly after FIFA’s expanded 32-team Club World Cup concluded in the United States, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino described as a historic success. But FIFPro denounced it for adding yet more to players’ already strained burden of an over-packed calendar.
“Before the Club World Cup, I spoke to several of the world’s top players who said they hadn’t had a proper break in a long, long time,” Phillips found. “One of them said to me that he would only be rested if he were injured. Others were afraid and didn’t want to speak out in case of repercussions.”
He noted that the same players were later deployed in promotion videos for the tournament, likely under pressure from sponsors or clubs. “They’re in a bad position,” he said. “They can say something—but by doing so, they might lose something.”
FIFPro criticized FIFA for playing the backseat on major issues for players everywhere in the world, including aggressive fixture lists, harsh weather conditions during matches, and misuse of players’ social and labor rights. “It’s not acceptable that an organization that claims global leadership ignores the minimum needs of players,” the union noted in a statement.
FIFPro Europe lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission in the last year, accusing FIFA of abusing powers in managing the international fixture calendar.
The summit of FIFPro followed the union being rejected from the presence at a crucial FIFA meeting before the final of the Club World Cup. The union decried the absence of participation and transparency, especially where decisions have a direct impact on the welfare of players.
FIFPro President Sergio Marchi also made news this week by accusing Infantino of running FIFA in an autocratic manner and describing the body as being ruled like an “autocracy” in an interview with The Athletic.
This was greeted with a reaction from FIFA, which issued a statement of dismay at what it called FIFPro’s “divisive and inconsistent” rhetoric. It said that efforts had been made to invite the union to a July 12 meeting in New York, but that FIFPro refused to attend.
“Instead of addressing solutions through dialogue, FIFPro seems determined to engage in public confrontation in the interests of personal agendas,” FIFA said.
About Author
