The Premier League has joined the legal fight against FIFA and supposed “abuse of dominance” when it comes to the international football calendar.
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Club World Cup being expandedNo mandatory off-season break in placeDivisions & players airing grievancesWHAT HAPPENED?
The European Leagues organisation, which represents the professional divisions in England, has announced that a complaint will be filed to the European Commission – alongside players’ union FIFPRO Europe – on the grounds of competition law.
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FIFA has announced the Club World Cup is to be expanded to 32 teams from 2025 and will be played when domestic campaigns and international matches come to a close. Concerns are being raised regarding the demands being placed on players in congested schedules.
WHAT THE PFA SAID
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has said of taking a stance against FIFA: "The complaint will explain that FIFA's conduct infringes EU competition law and notably constitutes an abuse of dominance: FIFA holds a dual role as both the global regulator of football and a competition organiser. This creates a conflict of interest, which, consistent with recent case law of the EU courts, requires FIFA to exercise its regulatory functions in a way that is transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate. FIFA's conduct in respect of the international match calendar falls well short of these requirements.
“This complaint, that will be formally filed by European Leagues, LaLiga, and FIFPRO Europe will run in parallel to separate actions initiated by individual leagues and player unions at national level. The English, French and Italian player unions brought an action with the Brussels commercial court in June. European Leagues and FIFPRO Europe have already informed the European Commission of their decision and look forward to working closely with the Commission, relevant public institutions and football stakeholders throughout the investigation process.”
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FIFA are yet to grant a mandatory 28-day break during annual off seasons, with league and player unions claiming that world football’s governing body has "consistently refused to include national leagues and player unions in its decision-making process", while also asserting that "the international match calendar is now beyond saturation and has become unsustainable for national leagues and a risk for the health of players".