Following Jurgen Klopp’s vehement objection, the Premier League and other European rights holders have filed a lawsuit against FIFA, claiming the latter is breaching EU competition rules.
In response to Fifa’s overbooking of its calendar, the Premier League and other European leagues have taken legal action against the organization, charging it with “an abuse of dominance.” The action is also being jointly filed by FIFPRO, the federation that represents professional players, including those from Liverpool.
In response to accusations that Fifa is ignoring player welfare and competition value, the collective organization “European Leagues,” which is made up of and represents 31 members, including the Premier League, EFL, and Scottish Premiership, argues that taking legal action is now the “only responsible step.” FIFA disputes this.
The Club World Cup will have 32 teams instead of just seven starting in 2025, and group stage matches will take place prior to the knockout stages. The first edition is slated to take place in June and July of next year, during the European off-season.
This is in line with the UEFA tournaments’ bloated timetables, which start with two more group stage games and maybe a further knockout play-off round the following season. Several prominent football players, including Jurgen Klopp, have expressed their anger at the demanding schedule.
“While we are talking, probably UEFA and FIFA invent a new tournament and puts it somewhere and suddenly getting a winter break in January is the least of our problems,” the then-Liverpool manager said in January, taking aim at the competition organizers.
“Those in charge don’t give a damn about that [player burnout].” If a man has ever been a player, I’m positive he is not the only one who can recall what it was like.
That is the reality. I won’t have the authority or be in there making decisions. Someone will have to apply the brakes at some point in the future.
European Leagues has now made the decision to file a lawsuit, alleging that FIFA is violating EU competition law, and has filed a joint complaint with FIFPRO to the European Commission.
According to a statement, the international match schedule is risky for players’ health and has reached a point of saturation for national leagues.
“FIFA’s choices in recent years have systematically disadvantaged the financial interests of national leagues and the welfare of players in favor of its own competitions and commercial interests, ignoring its duties as a governing organization.
The only responsible course of action left for European leagues and player unions to safeguard football, its ecology, and its workers against FIFA’s arbitrary rulings is to take legal action.
“The complaint will clarify that FIFA’s actions violate EU competition law and specifically amount to an abuse of dominance: FIFA serves as both an international football regulator and an organization that organizes competitions.”
In a forceful retort, FIFA said that “some leagues” were “acting with commercial self-interest, hypocrisy, and without consideration to everyone else in the world.”
The statement said, “Those leagues seem to favor a schedule full of friendlies and summer tours, often involving extensive international travel.”
FIFA maintains that its council is composed of delegates from every continent, including Europe, and that before altering the calendar, it confers with FIFPRO and European League members.
It contends that “FIFA’s calendar is the only mechanism guaranteeing that international football can remain, coexist, and flourish alongside domestic and continental club football.”
What penalties FIFA might face if found guilty of violating EU competition law is unknown at this time.
