Premier League chief Richard Masters has warned that football has reached “a tipping point” over Fifa’s expansion of international competitions and the Club World Cup.
It came as umbrella body European Leagues and player union Fifpro formally filed a complaint against the world governing body at the European Commission for unilaterally making changes to the calendar.
The move threatens to torpedo Fifa’s plans for a first 32-team Club World Cup next summer and follows threats from footballers that they will be forced to strike if their complaints about workload are not heeded.
“It is getting to a tipping point. The feedback we have from players is that there is too much football being played and there is constant expansion,” said Masters.
“The Premier League hasn’t changed shape. What has changed over the last few decades is the march of international and regional football competitions.”
Manchester City captain Rodri warned last month that players would consider strike action over the extra games being forced upon them. Days later his warnings were borne out when he suffered a serious knee injury that is expected to rule him out for the rest of the season.
Fifa has expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams for the next edition in 2026. Before then it also plans to stage a beefed-up Club World Cup next summer. Meanwhile, Uefa has also added more teams and games to European club competitions including the Champions League.
“Fifa and Uefa, cycle after cycle, have increased constantly the size of their competitions for both clubs and national teams and we have now reached a saturation point in the calendar,” said Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Italy’s Serie A.
“But the difference is that Uefa had a strong consultation with all the stakeholders – leagues included – and decided on a reform in the format of club competitions after a long discussion.
Rodri’s injury has been cited as a sign of Fifa’s calendar putting too much strain on footballers
“Fifa imposed their new format and competitions without any discussion, consultation and without accepting to have any form of relationship with the other competitions organisers.”
The legal challenge comes after the European Court of Justice ruled against Fifa and its transfer regulations this month in a case brought by former player Lassana Diarra.
The European Leagues and Fifpro have instructed the same lawyer as Diarra, Jean-Louis Dupont, who also won the landmark Bosman ruling in 1995.
“Fifa’s rules and conduct fall well short of what is required by EU law, and harm the economic interests of national leagues, and the health and safety of players in European football,” the organisations said in a joint statement.
“A legal challenge before the European Commission has become a necessary course of action to safeguard the European football sector which is a global cultural and entertainment powerhouse.”