October 21 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists player welfare “remains a priority” despite top European leagues and players’ union Fifpro filing a legal complaint to the European Commission against the world governing body.
FIFA has been accused of abusing a dominant position under EU competition law by failing to properly consult over the international fixture calendar, which next summer will include Infantino’s pet project, the expanded 32-team Club World Cup.
Fifpro and the European Leagues group – which represents 39 leagues and 1,130 clubs across 33 countries – claim FIFA has jeopardised player welfare through its “unilateral” approach.
In response, Infantino posted a photo of himself on social media meeting David Aganzo, the president of the Spanish union AFE, in Miami.
Underneath it he wrote: “FIFA continues to work with player bodies to ensure player welfare remains a priority. I look forward to continue working with David and everyone at AFE to achieve this goal.”
FIFA has accused leagues of hypocrisy because many of them have scheduled pre-season events of their own.
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