FIFA has issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to player welfare, while taking aim at FIFPRO—the global representative organization for professional footballers—for what it describes as an increasingly divisive and self-serving approach to dialogue.
FIFA issued a statement earlier this month, released on Saturday, July 12, outlining a comprehensive list of new measures FIFA has implemented following consultation with various players’ unions across the world. The goal, according to football’s governing body, is to place players at the center of the sport’s decision-making process and to ensure their physical and mental wellbeing is protected.
Some of the key reforms include:
- A mandatory minimum of 72 hours of rest between matches.
- A 21-day rest period at the end of each season.
- Consideration of travel demands and climate conditions in the international match calendar.
- Player union representation in FIFA’s standing committees and tribunal.
- A global consultative panel for player representatives.
- Strengthening transfer regulations, including training compensation and protection for young players.
- Enhanced support for women’s football, including guaranteed minimum payments at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and parental leave protections.
- Expansion of the FIFA Fund for Professional Players for unpaid salaries.
- Anti-racism initiatives, social media protection services, and education and training programs for players.
FIFA insists that these are not empty promises, but tangible, actionable steps already being implemented.
However, the release takes a confrontational tone when addressing FIFPRO’s recent criticisms. FIFA accuses FIFPRO’s leadership of prioritizing “public confrontation” and “artificial PR battles” instead of engaging in respectful, solution-focused discussions. The organization goes as far as to question whether FIFPRO’s leaders are more interested in protecting their own positions than in advocating for players.
“FIFPRO has responded with a series of personal and disrespectful attacks,” the statement reads. “This approach reveals a lot about FIFPRO priorities. It suggests that their leadership does not really care about the players, but rather about internal political fights and their image.”
In a notable challenge, FIFA called on FIFPRO to publish its statutes and financial records, suggesting that transparency should be mutual if both sides are to work together constructively. FIFA also requested disclosure of:
- All sources of income,
- Intellectual property rights related to player representation,
- Funding details from football organizations to FIFPRO’s regional divisions, and
- A full list of the players and members they claim to represent.
Despite the pointed criticism, FIFA left the door open for reconciliation, stating its desire to work with all genuine player representatives willing to participate in “transparent, solution-focused dialogue.”
“FIFA invites FIFPRO to return to the negotiating table, once they have stopped their blackmail and withdrawn their complaints,” the statement adds. “The game deserves unity, not division. Players deserve action, not rhetoric.”
While the broader football community has yet to respond publicly, the rift highlights growing tension between governing bodies and players’ unions over who truly speaks for athletes and who is best equipped to protect their interests.
FIFA’s reforms come at a time when the football calendar has never been more congested, and the spotlight on mental health and labor rights in the sport continues to grow. Whether these reforms will lead to meaningful cooperation or further fracture relations with FIFPRO remains to be seen.
