The Premier League is reportedly joining new legal action against FIFA over the expansion of the international football calendar and risking the health of players.
The players’ union FIFPRO Europe and the European Leagues organization, of which England’s professional leagues are a part, indicated that they would lodge a complaint to the European Commission on the grounds of competition law.
They are worried about the upcoming 32-team men’s Club World Cup, which will take place in conjunction with the regular European season and international competitions. As the governing body of world football provided a short official consultation process.
The English players’ unions have threatened to take legal action over workload concerns arising from the addition of more international fixtures, as Sky News reported in December.
Members of FIFPRO Europe, the Professional Footballers’ Association, joined the European Leagues “to protect football, its ecosystem, and its workforce from FIFA’s unilateral decisions” and lodged a complaint with the European Commission.
They say: “The complaint will explain that FIFA’s conduct infringes EU competition law and notably constitutes an abuse of dominance. FIFA holds a dual role as both the global regulator of football and a competition organiser.
“This creates a conflict of interest, which, consistent with recent case law of the EU courts, requires FIFA to exercise its regulatory functions in a way that is transparent, objective, non-discriminatory and proportionate.
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