Global football players’ union FIFPRO was not invited to a summit meeting in New York between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and players’ groups, sources have told ESPN, following an announcement by FIFA that a “consensus” has been reached about player rest and welfare.
FIFA issued a statement in the early hours of Sunday (Saturday evening in the United States) that said “key issues concerning player welfare” had been addressed and agreement on mandatory rest periods had been agreed.
However, sources have told ESPN that FIFPRO, which represents 66,000 players worldwide, and the UK-based Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) was not in attendance at the meeting and had no role in any of the discussions.
FIFPRO has urged FIFA to take a more active role in consulting player unions when adding to the fixture calendar, most notably the staging of the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the U.S. this summer.
FIFPRO president Sergio Marchi condemned the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday in a strongly-worded rebuke that also said players were forced to play in “unacceptable conditions.”
And in a statement released to ESPN on Sunday, Marchi, who chose to fly back to Argentina rather than attend the Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain in protest at FIFA’s claims of an agreement, said that FIFA are risking a “dangerous disconnect” with players.
“While the recent Club World Cup generated enthusiasm among numerous fans and allowed some of the world’s leading figures to be seen in a single tournament, FIFPRO cannot fail to point out, with absolute clarity, that this competition hides a dangerous disconnect with the true reality experienced by most footballers around the world,” Marchi said.
“What was presented as a global celebration of football was nothing more than a fiction created by FIFA, promoted by its president, without dialogue, sensitivity, and respect for those who sustain the game with their daily efforts.”
FIFPRO Europe and a group of European leagues filed a legal complaint with the European Union in June 2024, accusing FIFA of abusing its dominant position in football and violating European competition law by expanding the international match calendar without proper consultation. A verdict has yet to be reached.
Sources have said that player representatives at the meeting with Infantino included national union officials whose organisations have been expelled from FIFPRO or who have lost their position at FIFPRO following a democratic process.
ESPN has been told that senior player representatives regard FIFA’s statement as “deeply flawed” and that none of the agreements reached are legally binding.
ESPN has contacted FIFA for a response.