FIFA warned of legal action by Fifpro and WLA unless it backtracks on calendar

May 10 – Global players union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association (WLA) have warned FIFA of legal action if they FIFA doesn’t  “withdraw its decisions on the international calendar”.

In a letter sent to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and general secretary Mattias Grafstrom, the two bodies have commissioned external legal advice and will advise their member “both individually and collectively” on the options available to them.

Fifpro and the WLA are demanding that to stop any potential legal action FIFA must reschedule the 2025 Club World Cup, reopen discussion on the international player release windows for the 2024-30 period and review its decision on the ‘Intercontinental Cup’, the club competition FIFA wants to slot into the calendar between the four-year cycle of the expanded Club World Cup.

That would mean FIFA scrapping the Intercontinental Cup set for this December involving the same continental club champions that will play in the Club World Cup six months later in the US.

The letter, signed jointly by Fifpro general secretary Stephane Burchkalter and WLA general secretary Jerome Perlemuter, said: “FIFA’s recent strategic approach of developing its own competitions – such as the World Cup, the Club World Cup or the Intercontinental Cup – is adversely disrupting the football industry, jeopardizing national leagues and affecting the health and wellbeing of players. There is an urgent need for a structured process for handling calendar-related matters.”

Fifpro and the WLA in particular have long bemoaned FIFA’s lack of inclusivity of their stakeholders – the players and the leagues they play in – and demanded a seat at the planning table before decisions are taking, usually to the detriment of their members and too often in favour of FIFA’s own voracious financial appetite.

The letter argues that FIFA “is expected to develop inclusive governance arrangements. This must include clear, transparent and…

Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/05/10/fifa-warned-legal-action-fifpro-wla-unless-backtracks-calendar/

Author : Paul Nicholson

Publish date : 2024-05-10 17:18:52

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