Yahoo Sports Fifpro partners Uefa to 'secure stronger player voice'
Players' union Fifpro has agreed a partnership with Uefa which will "secure a stronger voice for players", the organisation's president David Terrier has said.
Fifpro will take a seat in Uefa's governance structure, and from May 2025 will be represented on Uefa's executive committee, initially in an advisory capacity.
It comes after Fifpro, La Liga and the European Leagues group filed a legal complaint against Fifa, accusing football's world governing body of an "abuse of dominance".
It was announced on Monday that former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will lead a Fifa taskforce on player welfare amid concerns about the football calendar.
In an ongoing row about the number of games players face during a season, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) joined a legal action against Fifa in June about the "overloaded and unworkable" football calendar.
This season all three European club competitions have been expanded to 36 teams, while next summer's Club World Cup has been extended to 32 teams.
Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who was crowned the best footballer of the year on Monday, said in September that players are close to going on strike in protest at an increase in games.
A Fifpro report published in September said some players get as little as 12% of the year to rest.
The players' union has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Uefa, which Fifpro president Terrier said represented "a hugely positive milestone for professional players across Europe".
"We are securing a stronger voice for players where it matters most. Our ongoing dialogue with Uefa is already yielding positive results, and this MoU will only strengthen our ability to shape a framework that will advance player welfare and ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for football, where the needs and rights of players shall always be at the forefront, both on and off the pitch," Terrier said.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said the partnership "represents a new era in our relationship with Fifpro" which will put player welfare "at the forefront" of the sport's future.
"Players are at the heart of football, and their perspectives must shape the decisions taken," Ceferin added.
