French soccer union blasts Club World Cup over 'massacre' of player welfare
PARIS — France's union of professional soccer players launched a scathing attack on the Club World Cup on Sunday, saying it is 'urgent to stop this massacre' amid ongoing concerns about extreme player workloads.
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The UNFP also accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of living 'in an ivory tower' by ignoring the impact congested calendars have on players worldwide.
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'The incongruity of the situation is not lost on anyone, except, of course, Gianni Infantino and his flatterers. From the height of his ivory tower, which he parades around the world, the FIFA president is not bothered by the fate that the international calendar reserves for the game's leading players,' the UNFP said in a statement early Sunday morning. 'His (Infantino's) Club World Cup proves, to the point of absurdity, that it is urgent to stop this massacre game. He flouts the physical and mental health of players for a few more dollars.'
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The UNFP statement said the Club World Cup comes at the end of an already exhausting season, and thereby ignores 'collective bargaining agreements (which) almost everywhere, provide for an incompressible period of three weeks of rest for footballers between two seasons.'
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Days before the start of the month-long Club World Cup, which ends on July 13, soccer chiefs faced renewed calls to safeguard players over growing fears of injuries and burnout.
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The newly expanded tournament involving 32 of the world's best teams has faced pushback since FIFA announced it would be added to an already saturated calendar. The tournament will be played every four years, sandwiched in between the men's World Cup, European Championship and Copa America.
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'The UNFP, like FIFPRO and FIFPRO Europe, has been protesting for years against the drastic increase in workloads,' the UNFP added. 'But also against the harmful repercussions for domestic football of a calendar that FIFA is still alone in building today.'
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