New obstacle for FIFA in the organization of Club World Cup with 32 teams, the first edition of which will be played in the United States of America in 2025. The international footballers’ union, Fifpro, and the World Leagues organization are threatening legal action if plans for the tournament go ahead as planned. The new competition is scheduled to take place in the United States in June next year and will involve 12 European teams, including Italians Inter and Juventus. The two organizations have asked for the new Club World Cup to be rescheduled and – The Times newspaper reveals – have sent a joint letter to FIFA stating that they have sought legal advice.
The two actors claim that FIFA’s new match calendar is beyond saturation, and that it is causing “economic damage” to domestic leagues as well as posing a “significant risk of injury” to players. They also accuse FIFA of making decisions to benefit its own commercial interests. The letter asks the FIFA Council, at its meeting in Bangkok next week, to reschedule the competition and reopen discussions on the international match calendar.
In the letter, also sent to the president of FIFA Gianni Infantinowe read that “if FIFA refuses to formally commit to resolving the issues at its next council, we will be forced to advise our members of the options available to them, both individually and collectively, to proactively protect their interests. These options include actions legal claims against FIFA, on which we have now commissioned external legal advice,” it reads.
