‘Nobody asks the players’: Why FIFPRO are challenging FIFA’s international match calendar and expanded Club World Cup

On 16 September, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker expressed his opinion^[1] – one he says is widely held by players – that the top-tier professional fixture calendar is now far too congested and that it’s affecting the ability of players to perform to their best.  He also expressed frustration that players aren’t being consulted about the issue: "Maybe our opinion doesn't matter, but everybody knows what we think about having more games. Everybody's tired of that."

That sentiment is the backdrop to a legal challenge recently launched by FIFPRO Europe player unions to the legality of FIFA’s international match calendar (IMC).^[2] FIFPRO argue that its scheduling violates the rights of players and their unions under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights^[3] (CRFEU). They also argue that the imposition of the IMC by FIFA is in breach of EU competition law, in that it is a unilateral and discretionary decision which is not the result of clear, objective, transparent and non-discriminatory legal frameworks as it argues is required by the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) recent decision in European Super League^[4] (ESL). They have asked a Brussels court to seek a preliminary ruling from the CJEU on these points, and together with leagues across Europe, are reportedly due to lodge a complaint with the European Commission,^[5] challenging FIFA's IMC under EU competition law.

This represents the preliminary climax of the ongoing tensions between stakeholders regarding the scheduling and expansion of football competitions, particularly the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup set to debut in 2025 (Club World Cup 2025). This is the latest, but unlikely to be the last, development in the trend towards the ostensibly increased applicability of competition law to sports following recent cases reinforcing that the actions and regulations of sports governing bodies are subject to EU competition law (which in essence means that their powers must be exercised by reference to a transparent, objective, and non-discriminatory framework). They also raise interesting, broader questions going beyond the world of sports, around jurisdiction, forum, and standing for EU claims with parties from both Member States and non-Member States, and practices having pan-European effects.

This article examines the case, looking at:

• Background
  • FIFA's international match calendar
  • FIFA’s plans for expanding the Club World Cup 2025
• Legal challenges
  • Player unions take action in a Belgian court
  • European leagues and players complain to the European Commission
  • Challenges in light of recent sports competition law cases
• Jurisdiction and avenues for the disputes
  • Why is the players' claim being brought in a Belgian court?
  • Can UK players bring a claim under EU law now that the UK has left the EU?
  • Pros and cons of different avenues of legal action
• What comes next?