The La Liga president, Javier Tebas, hailed “one of the most important days in football” after Europe’s domestic leagues joined forces with the global players’ union to file a formal complaint against Fifa’s imposition of the sport’s match calendar.
European Leagues, Fifpro and La Liga accused Fifa of “abusive and anti-competitive” conduct by expanding the schedule in a manner they believe endangers players and domestic competitions, pointing to the enlarged 2026 World Cup and the controversial new-look Club World Cup that will take place next summer.
The complaint was submitted on Monday morning to the European Commission, which must now decide whether to officially open proceedings against football’s governing body.
“We’ve taken a very important step in changing the governance of football institutions and we’re not going to let it get away,” said Tebas, who spoke alongside representatives from the Premier League and Belgium’s top flight, as well as union leaders from France, Italy and Norway. “It is a decisive day for football in Europe and the world. Write it down, because you’re going to see it in the coming months.”
The complaint says Fifa’s monopoly on decisions regarding the calendar is an abuse of dominance, violating European competition law. It alleges that Fifa has refused to engage meaningfully with players and leagues on the topic and that it has misused its regulatory power in prioritising its commercial interests.
Mathieu Moreuil, the Premier League’s director of international relations, said a tipping point had been reached. “The message we have together is very similar: enough is enough, we can’t take it any more,” he said. “We’re in a situation where we have no choice. Legal action is the only option and that’s unfortunate. We want to protect domestic football and the ecosystem. We want agreement between social partners and Fifa: not only consultation, real agreement.”
There is no intention to challenge Fifa’s position as the global regulator nor is the complaint seen as an exercise in seeking compensation. Additionally, there is little prospect that it will lead to the next Club World Cup being cancelled. The desired endgame is that Fifa agrees to a meaningful consultation procedure regarding the calendar’s format at a time when domestic competitions are being squeezed and high-profile players such as Rodri and Alisson have warned of the impact packed schedules have on their bodies.
“We have the feeling that football is eating itself,” said Umberto Calcagno, president of the Italian Footballers’ Association. “The players know this situation very well. They know how important it is not only to protect their health but also the merit of their national championship.”
The 32-team Club World Cup, which will take place in the US between mid-June and mid-July, has exasperated many of football’s stakeholders. In May, Fifpro and World Leagues wrote to Fifa requesting that it be rescheduled until agreement on the shape of the international calendar could be reached. No deal was forthcoming and a tournament whose finer details are still to be ironed out, with clubs still not certain of the financial benefits involved, looks likely to go ahead as planned.
Moreuil rejected any suggestion of hypocrisy in the Premier League’s place at the table in Brussels. England’s top clubs are rarely shy to put in the air miles for lucrative summer tournaments and friendlies even though these risk taking their own toll on players. “Individual club tours are a club issue,” he said. “That’s their decision, not a league decision.”
It is the latest potentially seismic legal wrangle to engulf Fifa after the court of justice of the EU found earlier this month that key rules governing the transfer system were “contrary to EU law”, after a long-running case brought by the former Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth player Lassana Diarra. Fifa said on Monday that it would open a “global dialogue” on the ruling, in the process raising cautious hope that they might switch to a more conciliatory approach regarding the calendar now that the stakes have been raised.
Fifa has been approached for comment regarding the complaint filed to the European Commission.
