FIFA President Gianni Infantino spoke to players’ burden on players – the International Fifpro player union was not invited. Their displeasure is great.
Infantino had brought high -ranking officials from the world association to the meeting in New York: General Secretary Mattias Grafström, Vice President Victor Montagliani and football director Jill Ellis had come. The occasion and content of the appointment looked logical in view of the current club World Cup. It was about the burden of players, their health, necessary breaks or a minimum of vacation.
However, it was not an organization that had steadily drew attention to these topics: the international player union FIFPRO.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the meeting with the player unions in New York
Fifpro sees meetings as “farce”
According to information from the sports show, the meeting in the vicinity of the union was referred to as “farce” because FIFPRO was neither invited nor present. The FIFA announced that “Player unions from all over the world” would have participated without naming who was there.
Several national unions are not part of FIFPRO because they were either excluded by FIFPRO or are not allowed to be there for organizational reasons – for example if independence is not guaranteed by their national associations. According to information from the sports show, such unions were also present. The German player union VDV was not invited.
Fifro
FIFPRO is the worldwide player union. The umbrella organization of the unions, 36 of them from Europe, has 72 members. Among them are influential unions such as those from England or France. But not every country has a player union and not every player union is a member of FIFPRO. The German VDV union is not organized at FIFPRO because there was a dispute over the handling of the personal rights of players in commercial terms. Other unions are not included because they do not meet certain requirements. As a result, the Brazilian union is not a FIFPro member from the “big” football nations.
Legal dispute between FIFA and FIFPRO polluted ratio
The relationship between FIFA and the FIFPRO union has long been burdened. FIFPRO has started legal steps against FIFA together with the European Ligenverband. Ligen and union call for a say in the design of the calendar after the FIFA has anchored the new large club World Cup among the men in the calendar.
FIFA points out that, in contrast to the leagues and the continental associations such as UEFA, they are hardly available in the calendar. The conflict went so far that the election organized by FIFPRO is the women’s and men’s teams of the year, in contrast to earlier since 2024, is no longer part of the FIFA gala “The Best”.
The FIFPro team is no longer presented at the FIFA gala.
There were recently slight signs of an approximation. Infantino received the new FIFPro President Sergio Marchi for exchange in the FIFA headquarters in January. “We want to work closely with FIFPRO to protect the players and the game”had Infantino announced at the time. FIFPRO was also satisfied with the FIFA’s approach to the topic of heat during the club World Cup when the association quickly enabled cooling and drinking breaks.
FIFA is wrongly criticized
FIFA is resented about the fact of how hard the World Association is criticized in terms of increasing stress. In a letter, FIFA General Secretary Grafström answered the criticism of FIFPRO that all sides would be taken into account when designing the calendar. “But it is not always possible to satisfy everyone in this matter.”
FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström
The background: similar tones did not attach the unions and the leagues to the UEFA, although this had increased the number of European Cup games by around 50 percent and wrote four more game days in the calendar.
| Competition | by 2023/24 | From 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
Champions League | 125 | 189 |
Europa League | 141 | 189 |
Conference League | 141 | 153 |
Fifpro sits at the UEFA at the table of the decision -makers, not at FIFA
Here, leagues and unions with their voice see themselves more taken into account. In the most powerful committee of the UEFA, the Executive Committee, the leagues have had a permanent place for a long time. However, it has already been decided that FIFPRO will receive a place in the Executive Committee from 2025. FIFPRO also remains a game ball in the power struggle between FIFA and UEFA.
The UEFA headquarters in Nyon
The FIFA of the FIFPRO did not prospect a similar treatment in the message to the meeting in New York. It was about discussing the representation of players and unions in the constant commissions of FIFA, it said in the message, “And their possible participation in meetings of the FIFA Council when playing players are treated”. The FIFPRO, which is represented at least in the lower bodies of FIFA, was not mentioned in this context.