The national leagues have big problems with the club World Cup. The European Ligenverband now closed the ranks. The common goal: more say in FIFA. But the influence remains small at first.
At the general assembly of the European Leagues on Thursday, La Liga from Spain was re -accepted to the organization. In 2023, Javier Tebas, President of La Liga, had declared leaving the European Leagues in 2023. “The European Leagues never make decisions”criticized Tebas back then. “Travel to Amsterdam to drink a cup of coffee? I’m sorry, I prefer to stay in Madrid. You just win if you fight.”
In the meantime, the leagues are ready to fight and Tebas returned with La Liga in Frankfurt. Already in February Tebas said in an interview with the sports show: “We will return. The European Leagues have changed their policy decisively. We have to defend our leagues and thus the European football system.” The common goal: more say in the decisions of FIFA.
Javier Tebas, President of La Liga
Leagues and Player initiated legal steps against FIFA
Together with the International Fifpro player union, the leagues lodged a complaint to the EU Commission. In their view, they were not sufficiently taken into account in the design of the football calendar and their opinion did not belong. The currently largest bone of contention is the new club World Cup with 32 teams:
- The stress of the players with the top teams increases.
- To control the burden, these players could be before choosing whether they play in their leagues or in international competitions.
- FIFA regulates football, but acts as a competitor on the TV right market.
- The calendar leaves less and less scope, one consequence is a withdrawal of national competitions: the French league has been reduced, repetitive games are abolished in the English Cup.
- The prize money of the club World Cup can continue to fuel inequality in the leagues.
FIFA always rejected the allegations. In May, FIFA had informed the leagues and the union in a answer that it could not understand the allegations and rejected it. FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström wrote that everyone was taken into account in the creation of the calendar. “But it is not always possible to satisfy everyone in this matter.” He referred to various meetings that had taken place.
Worry in front of even more club World Cup
Claudius Schäfer, Managing Director of the Swiss League, was elected as the new President of the European Leagues at the General Assembly. He was confident that he was successful with the complaint against FIFA. The complaint is also based on the ECJ judgment on Super League that the associations are more committed to applying clear criteria in their decisions and not excluding anyone. “FIFA is obliged to comply with European law. We are committed to this together with FIFPRO. It is up to FIFA that it is ready to change its decision -making.”
Claudius Schäfer (left), the new president of the European Leagues, with DFL managing director Marc Lenz
But the influence remains low. In the lobby of the conference hotel near the Frankfurt Opera, there was certainty that the 2025 club World Cup in the USA will take place. Some league representatives said that FIFA could one day carry the club World Cup more often than just every four years and thus continue to claim space in the calendar and market shares for TV money. That is why the complaint with the EU Commission is so important. DFL managing director Marc Lenz, who was again elected to the board of the European League, not only called for the integration of the leagues before the introduction of competitions, but also afterwards.
Spain’s league chief Tebas had formulated a clear objective in conversation with the sports show: “I hope that there will be no second club World Cup.” The new President Schäfer said with a view to the possible influence of the prize money of the club World Cup: “When we see the sums paid for the club World Cup, I am honestly afraid of the future. So we have to get up.”
The FIFA Council, in which DFB President Bernd Neuendorf is also a member, decided on Wednesday the total prize money of $ 1 billion for the 2025 club World Cup. The European clubs in particular will benefit from this, sometimes high double -digit million amounts will have recorded in just a few weeks.
Also Klopp against the new tournament
Most recently, Jürgen Klopp had also critically commented on the new World Cup as a football director of Red Bull. “I know that (Red Bull) Salzburg plays at the club World Cup. I have to say now that I love the competition? No. Because I still don’t do that”, said Klopp. The club World Cup is “senseless”.
“You don’t have a summer break. This means for players who played at the European Championship or Copa America last year, that they also play through this summer and then start the season. The winners of the tournament will be the poorest winners of all time.” He also referred to the burden and the risk of injury. “At some point we have to reduce the number of games”, Said Klopp and also suggested reducing leagues with 20 clubs to 18 – a red line for play classes such as the Premier League or La Liga. In general, he added: “You don’t have to fill every gap in the calendar with football. The less you see something, the more you love it.”
Jürgen Klopp, Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull
Bayern: “We support the club World Cup”
However, Klopp is by no means speaking for all clubs that take part in the new World Cup. Because they see new income. Bavaria Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen clearly spoke out for the tournament in October 2024. “Of course we have to see how we manage it”, Dreesen said in an interview with the sports show with a view to the burden for the players. “On the other hand, we are qualified and look forward to it. And the players are also happy – so we support this club World Cup.”
Bayern Munich’s CEO addressed that salaries have increased over the years. “They have to come from somewhere. You can’t pay the salaries from the couch, we have to play for it.” Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke is also for the new World Cup. The ECA as a lobby organization of the clubs also expressly supports the tournament.