Today, at the World Football Summit in Sevilla, the European Leagues, alongside representatives from the World Leagues Association and FIFPRO addressed the growing issue of the congested calendar and player workload while questioning the current status of the governance of international football.

As one of the most debated topics over the two working days in Sevilla, the discussions highlighted key concerns for both professional leagues associations and players’ unions:

• The calendar is broken due to the unsustainable trend of adding international fixtures to an already congested calendar.
• The governance by FIFA, which regulates the International Match Calendar and its mandatory release period for players, is not fit for purpose: professional leagues and players’ unions must be at the table.
• The current calendar harms the economic value of domestic competitions while creating operational challenges for professional leagues.
• We have heard the loud voice of several players over the past few days: the impact on players’ health and their workload capacity is becoming unsustainable.
• Legal action is now the only responsible step for European leagues and players’ unions to protect football, its ecosystem, and its workforce from FIFA’s unilateral decisions.

 

© Pictures: World Football Summit

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