The World Association of Football Leagues and Fifpro, the global players’ union, have called on Fifa to review the calendar for the new Club World Cup in 2025, under penalty of initiating legal proceedings.
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In a letter addressed on May 2 to the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, a copy of which AFP obtained on Thursday, the Leagues and Fifpro maintain that the calendar of football competitions is now “beyond saturation”.
The future Club World Cup, contested by 32 teams, is currently scheduled from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
Fifa defends itself
These calendar changes created a “economic damage” for the national leagues and pushed the players “beyond their limits”.
They ask the FIFA Council to reschedule the Club World Cup and reopen discussions on the international calendar for the period up to 2030.
“If FIFA refuses to formally commit to resolving the above issues at its next Council, we will be forced to advise our members on the options available to them, both individually and collectively, to protect their interests proactively »say the opponents.
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“These options include legal action against Fifa, for which we have sought the advice of an external expert”they write.
In a statement, FIFA argued that “The dates of the Club World Cup have been set so that they are in line with the international calendar, to allow sufficient time between the tournament final and the start of the season in many domestic championships”. Furthermore, “a minimum of three days of rest between matches should be guaranteed in order to preserve the well-being of the players”continues the international federation.
The LFP abstained from voting
But the World Association of Leagues and Fifpro accuse Fifa of “continually making unilateral decisions that benefit its own competitions and commercial interests, while negatively affecting domestic leagues and players”. They add : “Over a long period, FIFA has ignored repeated attempts by leagues and unions to engage on this issue.”
The subject was discussed during the World Leagues “Board” in April in London, AFP learned from a Source close to the discussions. The Professional Football League (LFP), on the French side, abstained from the vote for two reasons: its championship is reduced to 18 clubs and the League Cup no longer exists, which lightens the calendar compared to other clubs. ‘others.
