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Rabat – Top footballers are increasingly reluctant to voice concerns over the growing number of matches due to fears of professional repercussions, according to FIFPro, the global players’ union. The union raised the alarm following a high-level summit in Amsterdam, which brought together 58 national player unions from around the world.
The meeting, held to address growing frustration with FIFA’s management of the global football calendar, came shortly after the conclusion of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup in the United States. While FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hailed the tournament as a major success, FIFPro has criticized it for exacerbating an already overloaded match schedule.
Alex Phillips, FIFPro’s general secretary, said that some of the sport’s top athletes are privately expressing concern but remain publicly silent due to fear of employer backlash.
“Before the Club World Cup, I spoke with leading players who said they hadn’t had proper rest for extended periods,” Phillips reported. “One even told me, ‘I’ll only get a break when I’m injured.’ Many feel pressured to promote tournaments they don’t support, creating a contradiction between public statements and private experiences.”
FIFPro stated that the growing emphasis on expanding competitions, such as the Club World Cup, reflects FIFA’s disregard for pressing player welfare concerns, including scheduling fatigue, extreme weather conditions, and the protection of social rights.
In an official statement, FIFPro criticized FIFA for failing to address these issues adequately. “It is unacceptable for an organization that claims global leadership to turn a blind eye to the basic needs of the players,” the statement read.
FIFPro Europe also filed a formal complaint last year with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of abusing its dominant position in relation to the international match calendar.
The latest friction follows FIFPro’s exclusion from a FIFA-hosted meeting in New York on July 12, held on the eve of the Club World Cup final. The union emphasized that the lack of involvement in such key discussions further signals a growing disconnect between FIFA leadership and player representatives.
Sergio Marchi, President of FIFPro and former Argentine footballer, voiced strong criticism of Infantino’s leadership in a recent interview with The Athletic, accusing him of running FIFA as an “autocracy.”
FIFA responded on Friday, condemning what it described as an increasingly “divisive and contradictory tone” from FIFPro’s leadership. The Zurich-based body defended its efforts to involve the union, stating that it had invited FIFPro to the July 12 meeting, but that the union declined.
“FIFA is extremely disappointed by FIFPro’s decision to pursue public confrontation rather than constructive dialogue,” the organization stated. It added that such actions appear to be driven by the leadership’s desire to “preserve their own personal positions and interests.”
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