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) were 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 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.
