PFA Joins Legal Action Against FIFA Over Overloaded Calendar
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has joined a legal action against FIFA over the “overloaded and unworkable” football calendar. The PFA are co-claimants with the French players’ union in the claim filed at the Brussels court of commerce, with the support of the European office of players’ union Fifpro.
“Everyone across football knows that the fixture calendar is broken to the point that it has now become unworkable. There are too many emerging instances across football where the rights of players, and the legal implications of decisions by governing bodies and competition organisers, are seen as something that can just be ignored. Players are not being listened to and they want to see action. As their union, we have a duty to intervene and to enforce their legal rights as employees. Ultimately, that time has now come.”
- Maheta Molango, PFA chief executive
The claim is “challenging the legality of FIFA’s decisions to unilaterally set the international match calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.” This expanded tournament is scheduled to feature 12 European representatives and will be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
The PFA says it has “joined a legal case which will seek to challenge the structures of the current football calendar by enforcing the legal rights of players to take guaranteed and protected breaks.” The English players’ union believes the scheduling of the Club World Cup is a “tipping point for the football calendar and the ability of players to be able to take meaningful breaks between seasons.”
This legal action comes amidst ongoing discussions around the future of international competitions, including the UEFA Euro 2024, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the upcoming 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. Football enthusiasts will be closely following the developments in this case, which could have significant implications for the game’s global calendar and the wellbeing of the players.
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