Soccer players' union hits back at 'autocratic' FIFA and Infantino in fallout from Club World Cup
'Football needs responsible leadership, not emperors,' the FIFPRO network said after a meeting of 58 national player unions responded to FIFA pursuing its agenda with unofficial player representatives.
'It needs fewer autocratic monologues and more genuine, inclusive and transparent dialogue,' the union added.
FIFA announced two weeks ago it reached a consensus on key issues after Infantino hosted a group of mostly non-recognized officials in New York ahead of the Club World Cup final.
The latest rift between soccer's governing body and its players' unions flared while the European Commission in Brussels is considering a formal complaint against FIFA. It was filed by FIFPRO's European division and national leagues in Europe against FIFA's style of governance and decision-making.
FIFPRO said FIFA's core agenda included an overloaded global match calendar with too many games for elite players, lack of physical and mental recovery periods and extreme playing conditions.
Players at the month-long Club World Cup in the United States reported feeling dizzy and unwell in the heat of daytime games played to appeal to worldwide TV audiences.
The 63-game tournament backed by Saudi Arabian money was lucrative for clubs, especially in Europe, though FIFA added it to the schedule without formally consulting players.
The tournament, FIFPRO said, was 'celebrated by President Infantino despite being held under conditions that were extreme and inappropriate for any human being, demonstrating a troubling insensitivity to human rights, even when it concerns elite athletes.
'FIFPRO reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of men and women players — rights which are being seriously undermined by commercial policies imposed by its autocratic system of governance,' the Netherlands-based union said of FIFA.
'This is a model that puts the health of players at risk and sidelines those at the heart of the game,' FIFPRO said, adding it was 'unacceptable for an organization that claims global leadership to turn a blind eye to the basic needs of the players.'
FIFA was approached for comment.
FIFPRO has not had a formal working agreement with FIFA since the previous one expired in 2023.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Luke Keaschall drives in three runs as Twins beat Tigers 9-4
DETROIT (AP) — Luke Keaschall drove in three runs for the second straight game and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Wednesday. Keaschell is hitting .393 in his nine-game major league career, which was interrupted in April by a broken arm. He returned on Tuesday and has four hits and six RBIs in his first two games back. Thomas Hatch (1-0) picked up the win with 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. He was claimed off waivers on Monday from the Kansas City Royals. Jack Flaherty (6-11) took the loss, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the first. Alan Roden and Matt Wallner started the game with singles, and Keaschall drove them in with a two-out double. Keaschall had three RBIs in Tuesday's 6-3 win, including his first career homer. Minnesota made it 3-0 in the second when Brooks Lee scored on a wild pitch, but Spencer Torkelson's 24th homer narrowed the game to two runs in the bottom of the inning. Zach McKinstry pulled the Tigers within one with a leadoff homer in the third and Kerry Carpenter's two-run shot put Detroit ahead 4-3 later in the inning. Lee homered in the fourth and the Twins took a 6-4 lead on RBI doubles by Ryan Jeffers and Keaschall in the fifth. Austin Martin and Roden homered off Tyler Holton in the sixth. Key moment The Tigers had runners on first and third with one out in the eighth and their 3-4-5 hitters due up. A.J. Hinch sent Jahmai Jones in to hit for Carpenter and Kody Funderburke got him to ground into an inning-ending double play. Key stat Keaschall has reached base in his first nine career games, the second-longest streak in Twins history. Glenn Williams reached in his first 13 games in 2005. Up next Each team is off on Thursday before starting weekend home series on Friday. Twins ace RHP Joe Ryan (10-5, 2.83) is scheduled to start against the Kansas City Royals, while Tigers All-Star LHP Tarik Skubal (11-3, 2.18) will face the Los Angeles Angels. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Congress members trying to see ICE detainees at MDC Brooklyn jail barred from entry
NEW YORK — Officials at MDC Brooklyn barred three Democrat members of Congress from conducting an oversight visit of the jail's ICE detention operation, sparking a brief lockdown that led to cancelled legal visits for inmates seeing their defense lawyers. The Congress members, Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velazquez and Dan Goldman, showed up at the notorious Sunset Park jail Wednesday morning, but were blocked at the door, then were briefly trapped between the iron gate in front of the jail and its entrance doors. Inside, about 20 defense attorneys visiting their clients abruptly had those visits cut short, multiple lawyers told the Daily News. Jail staff recalled those inmates back to their housing units, and wouldn't let their lawyers leave the MDC for about a half hour as the drama unfolded outside, the attorneys said. Those lawyers included Marc Agnifilo, who represents Sean 'Diddy' Combs and alleged healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, both of whom are housed in MDC, sources said. Agnifilo did not return messages seeking comment Wednesday. 'We were trapped between the gate and the building,' Velazquez told The News. She said that the lawmakers entered the gate and approached the place's front door, and Espaillat asked a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent outside to show his face. 'He [the agent] immediately jumped in front of the gate and locked us inside, and then went upstairs, climbed the steps for the federal building and locked the door so we could not get out to the street,' Velazquez said. 'We couldn't get into the building.' New York Immigration Coalition President Murad Awawdeh, who accompanied the lawmakers, said the ICE agent immediately confronted them, asking for ID, then triggered a lockdown and disappeared into the building. 'It was a circus that the federal prison bureau created,' he said. 'Why is the federal government going so far out of its way to prohibit anyone from seeing what's happening inside their facilities?' Eventually, an assistant to the warden came out, 'and he said what we knew he would say, that we have to request seven days in advance for a permit to allow us to go inside,' Velazquez said. That's against federal law, which gives Congress members the right to make unannounced visits, she said. Starting in June, MDC Brooklyn began holding more than 100 ICE detainees as part of an interagency agreement between ICE and and the Bureau of Prisons to use eight federal facilities across the country to hold immigrants ensnared in Donald Trump's mass deportation machine. 'Denying Members of Congress access to a federal detention facility is outrageous and unacceptable,' Espaillat said in a statement later Wednesday. 'MDC Brooklyn has a well-documented record of abuse. ICE should not be allowed to expand its reach through backdoor deals with federal prisons. This contract must be terminated now.' BOP spokeswoman Randilee Giamusso said Wednesday that the prison system would be happy to accommodate Congress member visits if they give advance notice. 'However, as a law enforcement entity, we must prioritize the safety of our staff, inmates and our facilities. We remain committed to working with our congressional partners,' Giamusso said. 'With proper notice, the BOP is happy to accommodate a request for a site visit from any congressional member.' Espaillat and several other Congress members sued the Trump administration last week, arguing that federal law specifically prohibits immigration detention facilities from requiring prior notice before members of Congress can make oversight visits. 'The Trump administration's lawless efforts to defy that constitutional authority are a gross abuse of power,' Goldman said, 'and we're taking them to court in defense of that principle and to find out what they're hiding.' _____
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'I've always played for me.' Venus Williams returns to Cincinnati Open on her own terms
MASON, OH − Venus Williams has always lived an unapologetic life, controlling what she can control while passionately committing herself to the sport she loves. That's why it's odd that her illustrious career began with something she had no control of whatsoever. On Halloween Night in 1994, Williams made her professional debut at just 14 years at the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California. The toughest part might have been keeping her composure while the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge World Tour roared next door at the Oakland Coliseum. More: Here are the best first-round ATP matches to watch in the Cincinnati Open Right around "Beast of Burden," or maybe, "Sympathy for the Devil," Williams finished a straight-set victory over Shaun Stafford. "Mick Jagger, this is my message to you: I was playing my first professional match next to you," Williams laughed. "It was a beautiful thing and a great start." Now, the end is near, but Williams won't put a timetable on when she'll hang it up for good. The 45-year-old, who was awarded a wild card to the Cincinnati Open, made another comeback in July following a 16-month absence. Last summer, she underwent surgery for uterine fibroids, which affects up to 80% of women by age 50, according to NYU Langone Health. "This is a super important issue because so many people go through this," Williams said. More: 5 food dishes to try at the Cincinnati Open, from a lobster roll to a wagyu burger Williams never stopped hitting the ball, even when she could hardly walk. Even if it was for a few minutes, at whatever intensity she could manage. "Now, a year later, I'm in a completely different space and I have a clean bill of health, thank God. I'm ready to play and compete.' Despite a three-decade career, Williams still felt time was on her side. Time to recover from surgery, time to ramp up her serve, time to hit the ball with a ferocity worthy enough for the WTA tour. In July, Williams became the oldest player to win a WTA tour event in 21 years when she knocked out Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns in the first round of the DC Open. "Love is the key, right? If you don't love it, then get out of it if you have that luxury," Williams said. "I think a lot of motivation for me is to try to come back and play in the best health that I can. You have to live your life on your own terms. It doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks, if you get to live life on your own terms, it's a life well-lived." Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion who made a run to the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals in 2019 and semifinals in 2012, knows the questions about her age are coming every time she steps on the court. But her message remains to control what she can control. She can't control her age, or that she needed surgery, but her preparation and mindset take top priority when it involves returning to tennis. "You're never too young or too old to lose. Losing knows no age," Williams said. "All that matters for me is that I'm prepared and ready. I really have to stay focused on me, play it one point at a time and try to win for myself. I've always played for me." Will this be Williams' final Cincinnati appearance? She might live on her own terms, but Williams doesn't ruminate too far down the road. Right now, she's thankful for a clean bill of health and a first-round matchup against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro Aug. 7 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. "I'm very much in the moment," she said. "I don't think you should ever rule me out. That's all I will say." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Venus Williams returns to Cincinnati Open
