The Association of European Leagues, chaired by Pedro Proensa and FIFPRO (the union of football associations) will take joint action in the European Commission against FIFA’s dominance of the calendar.
The move to a legal route comes after several warnings sent to football’s world governing body in May asking it to address what the European Leagues – the body chaired by Pedro Proens – and FIFPro see as “inherent abuses” with the expansion of the World Cup and Club World Cup.
“The international playing calendar is currently busy and volatile for national leagues and the health of players. The decisions taken by FIFA favour its own competitions and commercial interests,” the European leagues and FIFPro said in a joint statement.
In the same note, they claim that FIFA “systematically refuses to include national leagues and players’ unions in the decision-making process” and that there is disagreement with the calendar being determined “unilaterally”.
“Legal action is now the only responsible step for European leagues and players’ unions to protect football, its ecosystem and workforce from FIFA’s unilateral decisions,” they add.
The case, which aims to demonstrate that FIFA’s conduct breaches European Union rules by abusing its dominant position, will run in parallel with cases brought in the Brussels Commercial Court by the Spanish League and the players’ unions of England, France and Italy.
However, FIFA responded to the intentions of the Leagues and FIFPro, recalling that the current calendar “was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council, composed of representatives from all continents, including Europe, and after full and inclusive consultations of FIFPro and the Leagues.”
FIFA also accuses some European leagues, “which themselves organise and regulate competitions, of acting in a commercially motivated manner, in a hypocritical manner and without regard for the interests of everyone else in the world.”
“These leagues obviously prefer a calendar full of private matches and tours in the summer, often involving travel around the world,” the organisation criticised, adding that their duty is to “protect the common interests of football worldwide”.