FIFPro chief Marchi slams Infantino and highlights issues between FIFA and players

New York Times

23-07-2025

Sergio Marchi, the new president of international players union FIFPro, has doubled down on his public criticism of world governing body FIFA and its leader Gianni Infantino.
'The biggest obstacle to FIFPro today is the autocracy of FIFA's president,' he told The Athletic in a rare and exclusive interview from his home in La Plata, Argentina.
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'Infantino lives in his own world, the only thing that matters to him are these grand spectacles. But he doesn't listen to the players or acknowledge their needs. But I can't sit quietly while people suffer. A lot of people told me not to speak. But I follow my convictions. I'm persistent. And I'm not afraid of power.'
Marchi is the first non-European president of FIFPro, which was launched in 1965 and aims to protect the right of more than 66,000 players worldwide. He took over the role from David Afanzo following a big shift in the organization with professional footballers voicing their concerns with the demands of the global calendar.
Marchi has been working as secretary general of Argentina's players' union, Futbolistas Argentinos Agremiados (FAA), for the last 28 years and as president of FIFPro South America since 2021. He still holds both roles today, balancing his new global post with the same boots-on-the-ground approach that got him here and gives him a strong sense of duty. He promised he will keep working to improve the conditions for the players from day one.
The son of working-class Argentinians, 'El Turco' Marchi understands what it means to be a professional football player. He was a defensive midfielder who played for Gimnasia de la Plata, then moved to Buenos Aires and captained San Lorenzo before heading to Mexico for a few seasons.
But his politics and worldview are not only shaped by football also by struggle. As an activist during Argentina's dictatorship in the 1970s, hiding from police raids as a teenager, he witnessed his friends disappear. Instead of hiding in a corner, he got motivated to do more. Marchi's mission is simple: not self-preservation, but justice. He didn't set out to make noise, but he refuses to stay silent when the game fails on its own.
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Marchi isn't opposed to FIFA's tournaments such as the recently concluded Club World Cup, but he joined a growing chorus of critics targeting Infantino's expanded event, calling it 'bread and circus,' a prominent Argentine saying, amid what he described as a glaring 'lack of protection' for players. FIFPro was excluded from a player welfare meeting convened by Infantino in New York, prompting Marchi to fly home instead of watching the final between Chelsea and Paris St. Germain.
'When the show ends and the lights go down, that's when the real world begins,' said Marchi, warning that the spectacle of tournaments like the World Cup and Club World Cup mask a harsher truth.
'These events weren't created by Infantino. They exist because of the players and the fans. He's not the owner of football, he's just the manager,' Marchi said.
Marchi's insists that football's ruling body, flush with billions in revenue, has systematically ignored the fundamental rights of the people who make the game possible: players. He was particularly scathing about FIFA's decision to stage Club World Cup matches in over 100-degree heat at various venues across the United States. 'It's perverse to schedule matches at noon in that kind of heat,' he said. 'What are they waiting for? A tragedy? A collapse on the field? It's not just bad planning. It's disrespectful.
'If you asked a player whether they want to play at noon, in 45C heat, they'd say no. But no one asks them. They're told to shut up and play,' he said.
That silencing, he said, is reinforced by fear.
'Enzo [Fernandez] criticized the conditions after the game,' he said. 'But most of the time players are afraid speaking up could hurt their careers. But it's up to us, their representatives, to speak for them. And I will.'
FIFA declined to comment on Marchi's claims when contacted by The Athletic on Tuesday.
Fernandez was among a handful of players who spoke out about the harsh conditions they endured during the Club World Cup. Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold complained it was impossible to 'think straight' and that he was 'overheating' during afternoon games in Miami, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, while Jude Bellingham raised the issue with the quality of the pitch.
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Beyond the star-studded event this summer, Marchi said thousands of professional football players endure far deeper, systemic problems. 'More than half of professional players aren't paid their wages, thousands are locked into contracts that are violated, many face abuse, physical, psychological, financial, that spills over into their families' lives,' Marchi said.
Citing FIFA's recent boast that 2.5 million tickets had been sold for the Club World Cup, generating nearly $2 billion, Marchi pointed out the distribution has not been democratic. 'We're in the 21st century and thousands of players still go unpaid. Meanwhile, FIFA celebrates record ticket sales. Let them have their party, but the people who built the game should be paid too.
'Football is deeply inequitable. It's unjust. And we're in a profession that ends at 35, with a whole life still ahead.'
Marchi claimed he had previously raised these concerns directly with FIFA's leadership, but said his efforts led nowhere. He doesn't expect this offer to be taken up, but Marchi made it clear he would challenge Infantino in a public forum if given the chance.
'I'd debate him [Infantino] anywhere,' Marchi said. 'Any journalist, any outlet, any format. Let the cameras roll. Let the world hear both sides. Because what FIFA presents is a filtered reality. They show you the lights, but hide the shadows.
'A lot of people inside FIFA are good people. But they're trying to protect their jobs. They're limited in what they can do. I'm not. I have a moral obligation to say these things. I'm not afraid.'
Marchi recounted three personal meetings with Infantino, one of them just before the Club World Cup final. 'I wrote him a letter. I included a document outlining proposals, rest periods, social protections, real reforms. He took it, chopped it up, and presented it like he wrote it,' he said.
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'He gave me his word. Shook my hand. Promised action. And did nothing.'
Marchi said the president should visit places like 'Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador,' and see teams 'that don't even have locker rooms or bathrooms.'
'Yes, it's nice to go to New York and Qatar,' he said. 'But go to Santos Guapiles, to Guanacaste, to Liberia, to Punta Arenas. See what football really looks like there. That's the reality of the global game.'
Despite mounting criticism, the issues Marchi is raising remain unresolved while FIFA's tournaments grow bigger and bolder. At the 2026 World Cup, set to take place across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, teams will be crisscrossing a vast continent. With 16 host cities spread across three countries, most teams will play in two or three different venues during the group stage, averaging travel distances of 500 to 1,000 miles. The longest possible trek (from Mexico City to Vancouver) is over 3,000 miles.
And for teams advancing deep into the knockout rounds, the travel demands will only intensify, with potential routings spanning thousands of miles between matches. Players also will have to endure a variety of climatic conditions and altitudes.
'It was announced that tickets for the World Cup are now going on sale, millions will surely be sold, according to the president, who says it will generate over three billion dollars in revenue,' Marchi emphasized. 'And it's incredible. Yet I'll say it again: There are still footballers who haven't been paid their salaries for two, three, even four years.'
He also singled out women's football as a talking point. 'He loves to talk about the women's game,' Marchi said. 'Let him go to Bolivia. Venezuela. Africa. Let him see what's really happening with women's football outside of the spotlight.'
Marchi believes one of the core problems is that footballers are still not involved in decisions that affect their lives and careers. 'FIFA statutes have said for 21 years that a minimum contract length is one year,' he said. 'It's in writing, but it's not enforced. That's on him [Infantino].'
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Marchi may not walk the halls of Zurich's five-star offices anytime soon. Asked if he plans to try and meet Infantino again, Marchi scoffed. His fight will come from his home in La Plata. Will he try to meet up with Infantino?
'Honestly, he should be the one calling me,' he said. 'If he were a decent man, and I think he is, somewhere in there, he should first apologize for what footballers are going through. Because he's the president of FIFA. Then, he should say: 'OK, how do we fix this? How do we help our players?'
'Football doesn't belong to Infantino. It doesn't belong to FIFA. Football belongs to all footballers. And if there are Gods of football, it is Franco Baresi, Toto Schillaci, Diego Armando Maradona, Lionel Messi, Sócrates, Ronaldinho. Not Infantino.'