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Black day of the calendar
Another trial is about to begin in football, and it could have a major impact on football regulation and the overall economic climate. The European Commission will consider a complaint by the Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) and the European League (EL), which brings together around 30 continental championships, including major competitions, in response to FIFA’s actions. The plaintiffs believe that the shortening of the season’s schedule, including the introduction of new tournaments such as a revamped Club World Cup, is contrary to EU law and puts players’ health at risk.
This week, the European Commission will begin examining complaints related to one of the most high-profile football conflicts in recent times. The document was brought to the EU's highest executive body through two structures: the International Association of Professional Footballers (i.e. the main football federations) and the Europa League. The organization unites about 30 European championships, including the championships of the "big five": English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.
They complain about the FIFA attempt to reform the calendar. In essence, this amounts to a continuous compression, which has recently taken particularly radical forms. The most common explanation for this is the emergence of the updated FIFA Club World Cup. Previously a very compact tournament, in the summer of 2025 it will be held for the first time in a new format with 32 teams and a month-long duration. In addition, the format has been “expanded” to include some other competitions, albeit less obvious ones, such as the European Cup and the World Cup for national teams.
FIFPro and EL consider FIFA's decision to change the calendar illegal. They question the right of federations to unilaterally create federations in principle and argue that "compaction" may violate some EU laws due to the fact that footballers do not receive guaranteed rest time. The Club World Cup will effectively deprive many people of a full rest. The plaintiffs also note that the extremely strict calendar puts both the mental and physical health of footballers at risk, harming the sport as a whole.
FIFPro and the EL announced their intention to lodge a complaint with the European Commission in July. And the past month has added urgency to the issue. At least 24 players from the top leagues have been banned from playing for their teams during the October international season, which ends this week. Their absence is largely due to the injury epidemic that has plagued the Big Five leagues. And many of the world’s top footballers, including Spain’s Rodri and Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, have sharply criticised FIFA’s strategy and the increase in the number of matches.
Meanwhile, another interesting case has recently concluded, the result of which was hailed by those fighting against the calendar expansion as a victory over FIFA. Two weeks ago, the European Court of Justice ruled on a case brought by the famous French midfielder Lassana Diarra, who called for certain provisions of the rules governing player transfers to be declared illegal. Mr Diarra was standing trial in a case that took place 10 years ago. The unilateral termination of his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow forced him or his future club to pay compensation of 10.5 million euros and hire additional staff. difficult. With the support of FIFPro, Lassana Diarra obtained a ruling that EU law had been breached, since “certain FIFA rules” violated the principle of free movement of workers. Mr Diarra’s lawyers believe that this decision could completely change the transfer market. And in making this statement, EL emphasised that FIFA must “respect national and European Union legislation” and not abuse its powers as football’s regulator.
The League's position on the calendar issue is clear. FIFA said the expansion was made only after taking into account and consulting with the various organisations already active in football. The most prominent of these, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, told the BBC that he was surprised that he was challenging the reform. He said it was "the highest paid people and those with 25 top players" who were complaining about the calendar. "People who are paid decent salaries and have fewer than 11 players are not complaining. They want to play," Mr Michelin said.