The row between FIFA and the global players’ union FIFPro over football’s congested calendar has caused what appears to be a complete breakdown in cooperation between the two organisations.
Last week, the union teamed up with Europe’s top domestic leagues to lodge a formal complaint against world football’s governing body at the European Commission. And, earlier this summer, the union’s European branch started proceedings in a Belgian court over FIFA’s failure to consult the players’ representatives on the international match calendar.
FIFA has not yet responded to the European Commission complaint but has previously strongly rejected claims it has not consulted “the football family” on issues such as creation of a new 32-team, men’s Club World Cup.
The inaugural version of that tournament is being staged in the United States next summer but FIFA has still not announced any broadcasting or sponsorship deals for the month-long event. Last week, La Liga boss Javier Tebas called on FIFA to “scrap” it.
There is no prospect of FIFA heeding his advice, however. In fact, FIFA president Gianni Infantino spent last weekend confirming that Lionel Messi’s team Inter Miami had earned the host-nation slot — thanks to having the best regular-season record in MLS — and will play in the tournament’s first game on June 15 at the Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
There is also very little chance of FIFPro being able to stop the 2025 Club World Cup, either, but the dispute between governing body and union is getting in the way of other joint ventures.
In 2020, FIFA reached an agreement with FIFPro to establish the FIFA Fund for Football Players, a scheme for players owed money by clubs that have gone bankrupt or are refusing to honour their contracts for some other reason.
FIFA allocated $16million (£12.34m; €14.8m) to the fund over four years and has already paid out partial compensation packages to more than 1,000 players.
But, despite repeated requests for updates from FIFPro and its member associations, the final $5m (£3.86m; €4.63m) instalment has not arrived, leaving 420 players waiting to find out if they will receive any compensation at all.
While the highest individual pay-out is only about $20,000, with the average cheque being $9,000, these are significant sums for the players affected, as they are typically professionals in second or third-tier leagues, with the largest number of claimants coming from Greece, Portugal and Romania.
A less serious example of the split between labour and management is the end of a 15-year collaboration on the FIFA FIFPro World 11 selections.
The union started canvassing its members on a men’s team of the year in 2005, with FIFA adding its stamp on the award in 2009. A women’s world 11 was added in 2015 and, since 2017, FIFA and FIFPro have announced these selections at The Best FIFA Football Awards, a glitzy ceremony usually staged in January.
But, with FIFA and FIFPro no longer communicating, FIFPro is retaking full ownership of the accolade. This change can already be seen on the union’s website, which refers to the annual awards as the FIFPro men’s and women’s world 11s.
FIFPro declined the opportunity to comment on what is happening to the fund or team-of-the-year awards when asked by The Athletic, and FIFA is yet to respond.
(Luke Hales/Getty Images)
