FIFPRO, the international footballers’ union, has claimed that FIFA’s decisions regarding match schedules for men’s and women’s football are short-sighted and do not pay attention to the health and performance of players.
FIFPRO believes that such decisions could have serious consequences and increase the pressure on the well-being and work of the players.
“Despite the understanding that FIFPRO reached with FIFA last week, according to which a joint negotiation of the international match calendar (CIM) would take place before the FIFA Congress in March 2023, these decisions have been taken unilaterally without seriously consulting, let alone agreeing, with the players,” the union added in a press release.
“This Friday’s announcements of a new format for the Club World Cup starting in 2025, new principles for the men’s and women’s IMC after 2024 and 2023 respectively, including the ‘extension’ of the current women’s IMC until 2024/25 – which will cause severe congestion during the Olympic competition year – have created new conditions that further increase the pressure on the players’ workload and their jobs,” stresses FIFPRO.
“Once again, decisions to stagger competitions without applying adequate safeguards are short-sighted and do not pay attention to the health and performance of the players,” he highlights. EFE
