European player unions, spearheaded by England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and their French counterparts, have taken FIFA to court over the controversial expansion of the men’s Club World Cup....𝐑̲𝐄̲𝐀̲𝐃̲ 𝐅̲𝐔̲𝐋̲𝐋̲ 𝐀̲𝐑̲𝐓̲𝚰̲𝐂̲𝐋̲𝐄̲ 𝐅̲𝐑̲𝐎̲𝐌̲ 𝐓̲𝐇̲𝐄̲ 𝐒̲𝐎̲𝐔̲𝐑̲𝐂̲𝐄̲➡️➡️➡️
The unions are following through on previous threats to challenge the tournament schedule. The showpiece has been slated for the United States next summer and will feature 32 teams (up from seven).
The games will be played over a month rather than the few days it used to eat up in the football calendar.
Global footballers’ union FIFPRO filed a legal claim with the Brussels Court of Commerce on Thursday, contesting the legality of FIFA’s decisions “to unilaterally set the international match calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the Fifa Club World Cup 2025.”
The PFA is seeking to protect players’ right to guaranteed rest periods. The 2024/25 season will transition into the 2025/26 campaign with barely any breaks for the players.
The Premier League season concludes on May 25th, and the Champions League final follows just six days later. There is a brief international window between June 2nd and 10th before the Club World Cup kicks off on June 14th and runs until July 13th. The Premier League resumes in mid-August, leaving minimal time for the players to recover and reset for next season.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino previously dismissed threats of legal action as a futile debate. He argued that even with the expanded Club World Cup, FIFA organises around 1% of the games of the top clubs in the world and that these matches finance football all over the world.
FIFA maintains that they have the authority to set the parameters of competitions whilst respecting the regulatory framework in place. However, FIFPRO’s legal challenge throws a wrench into FIFA’s plans, potentially delaying or even derailing the expanded Club World Cup…CONTINUE READING>>
