By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – Frenchman Philippe Piat is back at the helm of the international players’ union FIFPro and has called on member associations to air their grievances to avoid the organisation becoming “an empty shell.” Piat, now 72, was named president for the second time at the FIFPro General Assembly in Slovenia in succession to Leonardo Grosso and will hold the post until 2017.
In a strong rallying speech to delegates, Piat, whose appointment was uncontested, summarised the challenges awaiting FIFPro.
“FIFPro cannot keep silent,” he said. “It owes the players to speak up. It has committed itself to defend them, to support them, and to not abandon them, no matter the opponent and no matter that it may displease (those) in high places. This is not and should not be our problem.
“Without strong national players’ associations, FIFPro would resonate like an empty shell. Today FIFPro is a respected institution, that fights a daily battle, everywhere where professional football is being rightfully played, to defend the rights and the interests of the players, whether the player is called Lionel Messi, the extraordinary forward of FC Barcelona, or Loïc Feudjou, the goalkeeper of Coton Sport de Garoua in Cameroon.
“For FIFPro, there is no and there will never be any difference between the most well-known, the stars, and the other ones, the anonymous players, who have the same profession and play football with the same unbreakable spirit. If there is a gap between the world’s best players and all the other players, then FIFPro is there to fill this gap. While helping the best players to get even better, FIFPro helps the anonymous players in order to allow them to step out from the shadow or, at least, to practice their profession under the best possible conditions.
“What is true for the players, is also true for us, the players’ associations. Solidarity must take precedence. What is the use of claiming players’ rights if we do not know how to apply solidarity ourselves and if we do not achieve that Namibia, which just now became a member, will be considered on an equal footing as The Netherlands or England? This beautiful African country participates in exactly the same way in the life of FIFPro and gives meaning to the actions that we are carrying out as well as to our commitment.”
Although the likes of Messi are paid sums mere mortals can only dream about, at the other end of the scale Piat addressed what he described as the “infernal” issue of players in many countries not being paid at all.
“How many players are not paid anymore by managers who, with (almost) total impunity continue to promise and to compromise?” he asked. “With the exception of just a handful of players compared to the 60,000 professionals, nobody is safe anymore. Even Didier Drogba – the Honorary President of FIFPro Division Africa – now faces this problem.
“The players are tired of this. It is our task as FIFPro, to stop this infernal machine. We must ask the governing bodies to keep their promises. We will not be satisfied anymore with just words. We want to see them take real and concrete actions and we want to see that now!
“We must act in order to protect the players. The football bodies protect the football business, but when will they understand that without protecting the players, there will be no football business any more tomorrow, nor any football?”
Piat, who ran FIFpro between 2005 and 2007, laid out a number of other priorities to improve the welfare of players in the organisation’s 49 member countries:
• Intensify our relations with FIFA. We must take our rightful place and bring the full weight of 60,000 professional footballers whom we represent. The same applies not only for FIFPro, but also for each of us, whether it be at confederations level, via our divisions, or at the level of the professional leagues and the national FAs.
• Review the transfer system which we are no longer satisfied with
• Rethink the functioning of the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (which should speed up the processing of the files) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (which should regain its independence).
• Fight against third party ownership which not only creates an unhealthy relationship of subordination, but also creates inflation and in the end weakens the financial capacity of the clubs, that is the players.
• Continue our crusade against the WADA code, while stating that we are of course against any form of doping. Players are citizens just like anybody else, and not permanent suspects, nor criminals on the run.
• Continue our battle against match-fixing. We must make people understand that if there are corrupted individuals, there are also those responsible for the corruption. To sanction only the footballers will solve nothing.
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