European Leagues and FIFPro file complaint against FIFA over international match calendar

Over the last few years, many notable figures across football have hit out at the growing number of fixtures taking place over a season. This problem will only get worse from the upcoming campaign, with the start of the new Club World Cup format, which will feature 32 teams.

Numerous players ended on 60+ appearances last summer, including Barcelona’s 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal. For the European League (which La Liga is a part of) and FIFPro, enough is enough – they have filed a complaint against FIFA with the European Commission.

“Following the decisions of their respective executive bodies, they will jointly file a formal complaint with the European Commission on competition law grounds against FIFA in relation to the international match schedule.

“For several years, leagues and players’ unions have repeatedly urged FIFA to develop a clear, transparent, and fair process in relation to the international match calendar. The last formal request was submitted before the FIFA Congress and Council in May 2024. Unfortunately, FIFA has consistently refused to include national leagues and players’ unions in its decision-making process.

“The international match schedule is already beyond saturation and has become unsustainable for domestic leagues and a risk to the health of players. FIFA’s decisions in recent years have repeatedly favoured 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.

“National leagues and players’ unions, which represent the interests of all clubs and all players at the national level, cannot accept that global regulations are decided unilaterally. Legal action is now the only responsible step that European leagues and players’ unions must take to protect football, its ecosystem and its workforce from FIFA’s unilateral decisions.

“The complaint will explain that FIFA’s conduct infringes EU competition law and, in particular, constitutes an abuse. FIFA plays a dual role as the global regulator of football and the organiser of competitions. This creates a conflict of interest which, according to recent case law of EU courts, requires FIFA to exercise its regulatory functions in a transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate manner. FIFA’s conduct regarding the international match schedule falls far short of these requirements.

“This complaint, which will be formally filed by European Leagues, LaLiga and FIFPRO Europe, will be developed in parallel to separate the actions initiated by individual leagues and players’ unions at the national level. The English, French and Italian players’ unions filed a lawsuit with the commercial court in Brussels in June.

“European Leagues and FIFPRO Europe have already informed the European Commission of their decision and we look forward to working closely with the Commission, relevant public institutions and football stakeholders. throughout the investigation process.”

It’s clear that the number of matches scheduled per season has become unsustainable, and La Liga are one of many institutions have wants action taken to protect footballers’ welfare.