Players remain fearful of speaking out about their heavy workload because of the impact it could have on their careers, a top player union official has said.
FIFA has been accused of “turning a blind eye to the basic needs of players” in a statement issued by world players’ union FIFPRO on Friday, which also likened FIFA president Gianni Infantino to an “emperor”.
FIFPRO cited the scheduling of matches at the recent Club World Cup in extreme heat as an example of FIFA’s “autocratic” approach to running the game.
Without the players there is ultimately no product, but despite that FIFPRO general secretary Alex Phillips believes it is difficult for individuals to make their voices heard.
“I was speaking to some of the top stars that were going to play in the Club World Cup, and they were saying that they hadn’t had a rest for X amount of time,” Phillips said.
“One of them even said, ‘I’ll only get a rest when I get injured’. Others were resigned actually, and cynical about speaking up.
“Then you see some of the same players two weeks later having to record social media videos saying ‘we think the Club World Cup is great’ because their employers are telling them to do it.
“That’s why unions do exist, partly, to be their voice, because they are in an invidious position. They can’t speak. They can’t say exactly what they think – well, they can do, but that may have consequences.”
Phillips cited a legal complaint lodged by FIFPRO Europe and domestic leagues to the European Commission against FIFA last autumn as an example of alternatives to negotiation that the union has already taken.
He insisted the possibility of a strike was “not mentioned” when 58 of FIFPRO’s member unions held talks in Amsterdam on Friday.
A statement issued after that summit was scathing about FIFA, which organised a player welfare meeting without FIFPRO’s involvement on the eve of the Club World Cup final earlier this month.
That has been seen by the unions as an effort to divide and weaken them.
“The overloaded match calendar, the lack of adequate physical and mental recovery periods, extreme playing conditions, the absence of meaningful dialogue, and the ongoing disregard for players’ social rights have regrettably become pillars of FIFA’s business model; this is a model that puts the health of players at risk and sidelines those at the heart of the game,” FIFPRO’s statement on Friday said.
“There can be no legitimate spectacle built on fatigue, exclusion, and exploitation. FIFA continues to systematically ignore and silence the real issues players face in different parts of the world. It is unacceptable for an organisation that claims global leadership to turn a blind eye to the basic needs of the players.
“One clear example of this disconnect was the recent Club World Cup, celebrated by President Infantino despite being held under conditions that were extreme and inappropriate for any human being, demonstrating a troubling insensitivity to human rights, even when it concerns elite athletes.”
FIFA replied: “FIFA is extremely disappointed by the increasingly divisive and contradictory tone adopted by FIFPRO leadership as this approach clearly shows that rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, FIFPRO has chosen to pursue a path of public confrontation driven by artificial PR battles – which have nothing to do with protecting the welfare of professional players but rather aim to preserve their own personal positions and interests.
“The game deserves unity, not division. Players deserve action, not rhetoric.
“FIFA will move forward together with players and those who really want the best for football. It is up to FIFPRO to answer this call.”
