Premier League among leagues suing FIFA for fixture congestion
The Premier League is among the competitions joining forces with FIFPRO regarding a lawsuit against FIFA. The organization officially represents 39 of the biggest soccer divisions in 33 countries across the continent. In total, 1,130 clubs, including all 20 Premier League teams, are represented by the European Leagues.
FIFPRO announced earlier this summer that they were targeting legal action against the governing body of the sport. The lawsuit by the soccer players union is being led by England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and their French counterpart.
The growing legal dispute revolves around FIFA’s continued alterations to their official calendar. Issues with these changes are due to increasing the number of matches to several global competitions. While the governing body has added games to multiple tournaments, the Club World Cup is the crux of the lawsuit.
FIFA previously opted to increase the number of teams involved in the Club World Cup from seven to 32. The move means that several clubs must play even more matches. Although the competition will only happen every four years, potentially exhausted players will spend more time on the pitch. The newly tweaked 2025 Club World Cup is scheduled to be hosted by the United States.
European Leagues and FIFPRO say FIFA’s calendar is ‘beyond saturated’
In a joint statement from the European Leagues and FIFPRO, the groups claim that the lawsuit is essentially the “only remaining route” to protect players. “The international match calendar is now beyond saturated and has become unsustainable for national leagues and a risk for the health of players,’ read the statement.
“FIFA’s decisions over the last years have repeatedly favored its own competitions and commercial interests, neglected its responsibilities as a governing body, and harmed the economic interests of national leagues and the welfare of players.”
“Legal action is now the only responsible step for European leagues and player unions to protect football, its ecosystem, and its workforce from FIFA’s unilateral decisions.”
The organizations also accused FIFA of failing to even discuss the calendar changes with them. According to the European Leagues and FIFPRO, the governing body opted to expand the Club World Cup without consulting on the issue. The groups have allegedly asked FIFA to be transparent on the calendar “for several years.”
FIFA claims Premier League is hypocritical in lawsuit
FIFA, however, fought back. The world governing body asserted that European League members and FIFPRO took part in the alterations. “The current calendar was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council, which is composed of representatives from all continents, including Europe, following a comprehensive and inclusive consultation, which included FIFPRO and league bodies,” stated a FIFA spokesperson.
The world’s governing body of the sport also labeled some European leagues as hypocritical on the issue. The statement centers around several clubs on the continent scheduling expansive foreign summer tours. Many top European teams are currently in the United States to play a series of preseason friendlies.
While the European Leagues and FIFPRO will sue FIFA, there is no timetable for any court case. Nevertheless, the issue is likely to drag on until the 2025 Club World Cup is on the horizon.
Premier League and LaLiga reps have already recently declared that they may boycott the competition. Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid are three of the 32 teams taking part in the tournament. The Spanish top flight is not currently part of the European Leagues organization. However, they have officially joined the group in the legal action.
PHOTOS: IMAGO