Fifa dispute with global players’ union escalates with no one from Fifpro present at Fifa meeting in New York.
Fifa dispute with global players’ union escalates over rest period decision.
After world football’s governing body announced that it supports the idea of requiring elite players to take rest periods, Fifa’s conflict with the worldwide players’ union, Fifpro, seems to have gotten worse. Union bosses are reportedly unhappy with what has been called a defective process, even if Fifpro welcomed the commitment to a 72-hour break between games during the season and a three-week break over the summer.
At the meeting with Fifa officials in New York on Saturday, which resulted in the surprise announcement, no representatives from Fifpro nor the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) were present. Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, was shown with union representatives from around the globe in a photo that went with the organization’s press release. However, many of them were from groups that were kicked out of Fifpro, while others were previous Fifpro leaders who had resigned after elections.
The introduction of the 32-team Club World Cup by FIFA has sparked new worries regarding player welfare. Last year, Fifpro and the PFA sued the EU, claiming that FIFA had abused its power by extending the schedule of games without consulting them.
Fifpro released a list of demands for 12 additional player welfare measures on the eve of the US tournament. These demands included mid-season vacations, an obligatory four-week post-season break, and workload limits for academy players under the age of 18. Fifpro’s medical director, Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge, advocated for the extension of halftime intervals to 20 minutes due to the high temperatures that have been a defining characteristic of the Club World Cup.
A Fifa statement said: “The meeting addressed key issues concerning player health [men and women], a top priority given that it forms part of the occupational risk prevention framework established by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Fifa and the player unions reviewed upcoming joint projects involving the world’s football governing body and players’ representative organisations, with a specific focus on player rest and recovery, as well as competitions within the context of the international match calendar [IMC].
“There is a consensus that there must be at least 72 hours of rest between matches, and that players should have a rest period/holiday of at least 21 days at the end of each season. This period should be managed individually by each club and the respective players depending on their match calendars, and taking into account applicable collective agreements.
“Furthermore, a rest day per week should also be planned, whilst being managed pragmatically. In addition, it was discussed that player travel – especially long-haul intercontinental trips – and the climatic conditions under which matches are played, should be considered when defining policies for the upcoming IMC.”