FIFA ‘far away' from a deal with league unions over football calendar, says PL board member

New York Times

3 days ago

FIFA is still 'far away' from resolving the row with Europe's domestic leagues and global players' union FIFPro over the international match calendar, according to the Premier League's director of international football relations Mathieu Moreuil.
Last October, European Leagues, the body that represents leagues in 30 countries across the continent, teamed up with FIFPro to file a formal complaint against world football's governing body at the European Commission.
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The dispute over who controls football's congested calendar has been simmering for years but FIFA's critics believe its decisions to expand the World Cup to 48 teams and create a new 32-team Club World Cup are an abuse of a dominant market position, which is contrary to European Union competition law.
At the heart of the dispute is the claim that FIFA has failed to consult the rest of the game on the impact of these changes, with the unions concerned about a spike in injuries and player-burnout, while the leagues are worried about the detrimental effect of too much football on their competitions.
Speaking to journalists in Munich on Thursday, Moreuil said European Leagues and FIFPro made their complaint because FIFA was not listening to them, something that has started to change.
'We've had meetings, at least, and FIFA is now engaging with us,' said Moreuil, who is also European Leagues' vice-president.
'Both organisations have had meetings with the FIFA president (Gianni Infantino), which is good, but we're still far away from an agreement, therefore we'll keep our legal action in the system.
'FIFA needs to have a discussion with all the stakeholders about a calendar that works. It's not going to be easy but that's what we do.
'When we look at (European football's governing body) UEFA, we can have a discussion on these issues. It's not perfect but at least the points we are making are taken into account. That's the relationship we want with FIFA and we're far from that at the moment. But hopefully things can improve.'
FIFA's international match calendar is an agreement with the game's six continental confederations, the European Club Association and FIFPro that sets out when international games can be played, including all the major tournaments.
The current calendar runs from this summer until the end of 2030 and, as FIFA insists that international football takes priority over domestic games, national competitions must fit into FIFA's schedule.
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The revamped Club World Cup, which starts in Miami on June 14, does not have a ring-fenced space on the calendar but FIFA is still demanding that the 32 participating clubs field their strongest squads and has created a bespoke transfer window to allow them to bring in new players between 1-10 June.
And with the tournament not finishing until 13 July, teams that go deep in the tournament will only have five weeks off before their domestic seasons start again in mid-August.
Maheta Molango, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, was also in Munich ahead of Saturday's Champions League final and the English players' union boss told reporters that his members have been very clear about the consequences of fixture congestion.
'The players have spoken up,' he said. '(Manchester City's) Rodri, the Ballon d'Or, said it was too much, and many others. So now it's very tangible. It's not a theory.
'We are in situation where players are being put at risk of injury, physically and mentally.
'That's why we need to come together and work on solutions, otherwise people will get injured or they'll make choices to protect themselves. That's where it becomes a problem for the whole industry, because we want to see the best players on the pitch.'
Molango added that the players' unions are pushing for a mandatory two-week break for players in the off-season and a day off every week during the season.
FIFA has not responded to a request for comment.