- EU Sport Forum provides a platform for structured dialogue between the European Commission and sport stakeholders
- FIFPRO Europe board member Maheta Molango delivered a player-centric perspective on men’s International Match Calendar and dangerous workload, as more competitions and games are being unilaterally added by FIFA and UEFA
- Voices from UEFA, European Clubs Association, Union of European Clubs, and European Leagues also spoke on the panel analysing current European football ecosystem
The cannibalisation of the men’s International Match Calendar and the need for players and leagues to shape decisions made by football governing bodies was highlighted at the EU Sport Forum in Liege, Belgium on Wednesday.
The EU Sport Forum provides a platform for structured dialogue between the European Commission and sport stakeholders. Its main objective is to take stock of progress achieved in implementing the EU agenda for sport and to seek stakeholders’ views on current and planned future activities.
FIFPRO Europe board member Maheta Molango provided a player-centric voice in the context of workload, match calendar, player release and international governance.
Molango highlighted the need to protect European football from unilateral decisions made FIFA and UEFA and how the ever-increasing number of international matches and competitions is causing economic and physical harm to national leagues and players in Europe.
"The reality is that, right now, the current governance structure is imperfect; it does not take into consideration two of the major stakeholders: fans and players,” said Molango. “We have a situation where the institutions, who are supposed to be the parents of football, so looking after the good of the game, are not doing that. That is happening for two reasons: one, because there is a wish to appease certain stakeholders; and two, because there is a fight over available dates."
Molango added: "In the context of football in Europe, our concern is that, unfortunately, we have tried repeatedly to be listened to and no-one cares. So, it comes to a stage where if no one cares, it goes two ways: the legal route or regulation."
Stakeholders across the European football landscape participated in the panel, including:
- Alberto Colombo, European Leagues Deputy Secretary General
- Stuart Dykes, Football Supporters Europe Director EU and Institutional Affairs
- Dennis Gudasic, Union of European Clubs Co-founder
- Nadine Kessler, UEFA Managing Director of Women’s Football
- Charlie Marshall, European Clubs Association CEO
- Maheta Molango, FIPRO Europe Board Member
Unions and leagues highlighted the need for international football governance to be more transparent, objective and inclusive, to give all affected stakeholders the right to help shape the International Match Calendar.
European Leagues Deputy Secretary General Alberto Colombo stressed the lack of proper consultation and stakeholder engagement by FIFA on the recent decisions on the International Match Calendar which have a heavy impact on the football ecosystem at domestic level, while arguing on the dual role of governing bodies as regulators and competition organisers.
Are FIFA and UEFA putting their interests before player welfare?
One of the biggest threats to national football in European countries are the recent decisions made by FIFA and UEFA around the International Match Calendar (IMC) and new competitions. These decisions, taken unilaterally without any meaningful consultation or objective criteria for player welfare, undermine the sustainability of football in European countries and aim to benefit their own priorities above all.
Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO’s Director of Global Policy & Strategic Relations (Men's Football), highlights how the European Court of Justice’s ruling on the Super League has underlined the importance of affected stakeholders in Europe not being excluded from decision-making.
He said: "While the ECJ’s ruling was focused on the Super League, the judgment is of more general importance; the principles established in that judgment call for governance structure changes that increase checks and balances, such as providing national leagues and footballer unions with more direct involvement in decision-making.
"The professional football sector in Europe is bound by European law, including fundamental rights standards, and expects that other actors in the professional football industry seeking to operate in European markets are held accountable to the same level of standards."
