The dispute over the increasing number of professional football matches is entering the next round. European leagues and players‘ representatives are now lodging a complaint with a powerful European institution.
The league association European Leagues and the players’ union Fifpro are officially complaining to the EU Commission about, among other things, the Club World Cup, which has been expanded by FIFA. The two organizations said that the large number of games put the health of professional footballers at risk and threatened important national competitions. They said they had tried to talk to FIFA about the problems, but the world governing body refused to listen. According to Fifpro and the European Leagues, FIFA is exploiting its powerful position.
The world governing body had already firmly rejected the accusations in the past. “The current calendar was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council, which is made up of representatives from all continents, including Europe, after a comprehensive and extensive consultation in which Fifpro and league committees also participated,” it said in response to the announcement in June.
FIFA, unlike “some leagues in Europe”, must protect the overall interests of the game. This includes “the protection of players at all levels”.
A spokeswoman for the EU Commission said that the complaint had been received and would be examined. The Commission did not say how long this would take. There is no deadline by which a decision must be made. The complainants did not express any expectations as to how long the process would take either.
“We can’t take it anymore” The background to the conflict is the increasing number of matches at the highest levels of football. In the USA, for example, a total of 32 clubs, including FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, will play for the title at the Club World Cup in 2025. Until now, the Club World Cup has been organized as a mini-tournament with seven teams at the end or beginning of the year. Additional matches should also lead to additional income.
The number of matches has increased due to the many new encounters in the reformed European Cup of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), with 189 matches to be played in the Champions League alone, 64 more than last season. “Enough is enough, we can’t take it anymore,” said Mathieu Moreuil of the English Premier League, referring to the general situation.
Leagues and unions hope for more say Specifically, the union and leagues criticize that FIFA has a monopoly on regulatory issues and is exploiting this position of power. FIFA can and has made unilateral decisions on the international match calendar without asking the national leagues for their opinion. FIFA’s behavior is a textbook example of abusive behavior, said lawyer Alfonso Lamadrid.
In addition, it was stated at the presentation of the complaint that the aim was not to get money from FIFA, but to achieve better decision-making procedures. The association’s rules must comply with EU law. If the Commission considers the complaint to be well-founded, it can oblige FIFA to take remedial action.