MANCHESTER.- The FIFA was summoned to reconsider the dates of the expanded tournament Club World Cup which will be staged within a year in the United States.
The international players’ union (FIFPRO) and the World Leagues Association (WLA) demanded a reform of the international calendar, which is managed by the governing body of world football.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the two organizations accused FIFA of pushing players “beyond their limits, with significant risk of injury” by expanding its competitions.
FIFPRO and WLA said match load affects the well-being of players and their “fundamental rights”.
With a Club World Cup with 32 participants, FIFA wants to overshadow the European Champions League. But fears have also been raised that FIFA’s congested calendar — which includes a 48-team World Cup starting in 2026 — increases the risk of injuries.
The new version of the Club World Cup will be staged between June 15 and July 13 of next year, meaning there will be three successive years of major competitions during the off-season. The Copa América and the European Championship will be held this summer and the next World Cup will be in 2026.
FIFA has expressed that the dates of the Club World Cup will be scheduled so that the tournament “is harmoniously aligned with the international match calendar” so that players have sufficient time to rest prior to the start of the season in many national leagues.
But FIFPRO and WLA are now demanding that the international calendar be “immediately adjusted”.
Apart from rescheduling the Club World Cup, he also wants to reopen the negotiation on the periods in which players should be released between 2024 and 2030 and analyze the “Intercontinental Cup”, which is essentially a substitute for the old Club World Cup, which was played with a short format at the end of the year.
FIFA was left between a rock and a hard place:
The letter warns of legal action against FIFA in the event that the governing body does not comply.
“Leagues and players cannot simply ‘adapt’ to FIFA’s decisions, which respond to FIFA’s commercial strategy,” they stressed. “We have reached the point where action must be taken on this decision in terms of procedure and substance.”
FIFPRO’s alarm over the load of matches has intensified.
For example, Bruno Fernandes, midfielder for Manchester United and Portugal, played 70 games last season, for his club and country. Rodri, a midfielder for Manchester City and Spain, competed in 10 different tournaments.
The Associated Press contacted FIFA for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
Source: AP
