FIFA had announced in May that it had no plans to change the timing of its new 32-team Club World Cup.
The move was in defiance of threats of legal action from global players’ union FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association, who want FIFA’s plans ripped up and rewritten.
Thursday, FIFPRO — with the involvement of England’s Professional Footballers’ Association, which also took part as a member of FIFPRO — lodged a legal claim at the Brussels court of commerce with France’s players union UNFP, over what it regards as FIFA’s failure to properly consult over the introduction of a new tournament.
FIFPRO said, “FIFPRO Europe member unions have today submitted a legal claim versus FIFA challenging the legality of FIFA’s decisions to unilaterally set the International Match Calendar and, in particular, the decision to create and schedule the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
“Player unions believe that these decisions violate the rights of players and their unions under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights while also potentially violating EU competition law.”
FIFA did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
In May this year, FIFPRO and WLA wrote a letter to FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom to express their concerns about the bigger competition.
They pointed to the congested international football calendar as a basis for which national leagues have a difficult time fitting their respective competitions without putting excessive strain on players, thereby significantly increasing the potential for injury.
FIFA responded to these reports of allegations that there were no unilateral decisions on its part to unfairly favor its own competitions within the international calendar.