New FIFPRO leadership announced at General Assembly

• FIFPRO’s revamped 12-person global board was ratified at the player union’s General Assembly in Indonesia on 26-28 November
  
  
• Argentinian Sergio Marchi becomes FIFPRO’s first non-European President; Alex Phillips announced as new Secretary General and will officially assume role in March 2025
  
  
• Iceland, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan upgrade FIFPRO membership to full status, while Lithuania and Northern Ireland move from observers to candidate members
  

FIFPRO’s revamped 12-person Association Board was ratified at the global player union’s General Assembly in Indonesia on 26-28 November. 

FIFPRO’s global board carries the responsibility of defending the working rights of more than 60,000 men’s and women’s footballers and uniting the voice of over 70 national player associations. The new Association Board was confirmed following the governance recommendations made by management consultancy Oliver Wyman, approved by an overwhelming majority of FIFPRO’s member unions in June 2024.

Association Board Members

• Magnus Erlingmark (Sweden)
• Joaquim Evangelista (Portugal)
• Sergio Marchi (Argentina)
• Maheta Molango (England)
• Geremie Njitap (Cameroon)
• Fernando Revilla (Peru)
• Stefano Sartori (Italy)
• Karin Sendel (Israel)
• Alejandro Sequeira (Costa Rica)
• David Terrier (France)
• Fraser Wishart (Scotland)
• Takuya Yamazaki (Japan)

Sergio Marchi, current General Secretary of Argentinian player union FAA and president of FIFPRO South America, has been elected FIFPRO President after commanding a majority vote by the global board. The former defender, who played for clubs such as San Lorenzo, Almirante Brown and Union Santa Fe, becomes FIFPRO’s first non-European President.

FIFPRO President Marchi said: “It is a great honour to be elected as the new FIFPRO President. It is a lot of responsibility and it is going to be a huge challenge, and one which requires a big response and a lot of commitment.

"Today is the start of a new process. The future will present its challenges, but they are challenges we can face with hope. There is no football without footballers – and we will keep working hard to improve their conditions with hope and conviction."

Meanwhile, Alexander Phillips has been announced as FIFPRO’s Secretary General and will commence the role on 1 March 2025. Phillips said: “I’m honoured to be appointed FIFPRO’s Secretary General and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me. I look forward to working with our members and stakeholders to build on FIFPRO’s legacy, championing players’ rights and driving collective solutions for a fair and inclusive future in football.”

FIFPRO membership expands

FIFPRO member unions from the global player association’s five regional divisions gathered in Indonesia on 26-28 November for the annual congress. The event serves as an opportunity for over 70 FIFPRO full, candidate and observer unions to align on global strategy, engage in open dialogue and share knowledge on a range of industry-related matters in order to better serve the needs of professional footballers around the globe.

Five player associations elevated their membership with FIFPRO, in recognition of the tireless work they have been doing on the ground to support players at domestic level.

Iceland, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan moved from candidates to full FIFPRO member unions, while Lithuania and Northern Ireland upgraded their observer status to candidate members.

Onana, Kang and Sallstrom saluted for off-pitch endeavours

Each year, FIFPRO pays tribute to players giving back to their communities with the FIFPRO Merit Awards, which are divided into three categories:

1. Player Activism Award – bringing about political or social change
2. Player Impact Award – seeking to create impact in the lives of others
3. Player Voice Award – highlighting an issue and influencing change

The winners of the awards were announced at the General Assembly, with Manchester United and Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana winning the FIFPRO Player Impact Award. The 28-year-old’s charity, the Andre Onana Foundation, provides free medical care and high-quality surgeries to underprivileged communities in Cameroon, and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The foundation collaborates with a group of surgeons and medical professionals who each year provide life-changing surgery and care to hundreds of people, particularly children. Doctors working with Onana’s foundation have performed over 1,200 surgical operations over the last three years.

Meanwhile, Finland international Linda Sallstrom and former Korea Republic international goalkeeper Ga-Ae Kang won the Player Activism Award and Player Voice Award respectively.

Sallstrom has been vocal about human rights issues, such as equality, racism and democracy, and in March confronted fans in Gothenburg, Sweden who harassed her team-mates with misogynistic slurs. Kang is leading efforts by Korean footballers and the national player union KPFA to improve the employment conditions of women’s football players and raise the visibility of the Women’s K League.

Cameroon wins Union Impact Award

As well as applauding the work of players making a difference via the Merit Awards, the Union Impact Award was bestowed to the player association that has launched the most inspiring initiative to improve the wellbeing of professional footballers in their country. The player unions of Cameroon, Greece and Portugal were the three finalists for the 2024 Union Impact Award and member unions on site in Indonesia voted to decide the winner.

Cameroonian player union Synafoc was selected as the winner for their initiative on raising awareness about non-payment in their country. Many players find themselves in a precarious situation due to non-payment of salaries, bonuses and the lack of action from the football federation which often fails in enforcing decisions by judicial bodies.