LaLiga, FIFPRO Europe, and the European Leagues have formally filed a complaint against FIFA with the European Commission, accusing it of abusing its dominant position following the creation of the new Club World Cup. This tournament will take up an entire month in the calendar between June and July 2025, which, according to the complainants, creates an overload of matches, affecting both players and national leagues. During a press conference in Brussels, LaLiga president Javier Tebas stated, “We have been forced to file this complaint due to FIFA’s abuse of power.”

One of the main arguments of the complaint is that FIFA has approved these new competition windows without consulting player unions or national leagues. Tebas was emphatic on this matter, pointing out, “Football is not the same as it was 10 or 20 years ago, yet it’s still governed by the same rules.” Alongside Tebas, other European football representatives, such as David Terrier (FIFPRO Europe) and Lorin Parys (Pro League), stressed the need for FIFA to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders before making decisions that impact the calendar.

TERRIER CRITICIZED FIFA’S STANCE

Terrier also criticized FIFA’s stance, noting that recent decisions about the calendar have been made to benefit the organization’s commercial interests. “FIFA is abusing its power to dictate the calendar and increase its revenues, ignoring the negative effects on players,” he stated. This lack of dialogue and the imposition of an overloaded schedule were central points in the complaint filed in Brussels.

Additionally, Tebas delivered a direct message to Emilio García Silvero, Director of FIFA’s Legal and Compliance Division: “They tell us to engage in dialogue. We accept that, but we also tell them the same. Let them come to listen and agree on more competitions, but they should see if they go against the health of the players, if they go against national leagues. We talk and talk, and then they do whatever they want,” the LaLiga president added, referring to FIFA’s lack of response.

SUSTAINABILITY OF NATIONAL LEAGUES

The lawsuit, titled “Protecting the health of players and safeguarding the sustainability of national leagues in Europe against FIFA’s abusive conduct,” aims to defend the interests of national leagues and players who face an overloaded calendar. European football representatives insist that this situation not only harms players but also local leagues, which are forced to adapt their competitions and, in some cases, reduce the number of matches.

For his part, the Premier League’s Director of International Relations, Mathieu Moreuil, joined in the criticism and stated, “We want a transparent process, we want agreements, not just consultations, we want a calendar that is sustainable for the players and domestic leagues.” With this legal action, European leagues seek for FIFA to respect labor regulations and recent jurisprudence, which calls for decisions to be made fairly and through consensus.