Player Welfare Talks Held, Key Union Absent
The global players` union, FIFPRO, was reportedly not invited to a key meeting led by FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding player well-being. According to BBC Sport, a minimum break of three weeks at the end of the season was agreed upon during these discussions.
FIFA stated that the talks held on Saturday in New York, just before the Club World Cup final between PSG and Chelsea, addressed crucial topics related to player health, including critical issues concerning the international match calendar. FIFA announced that a “consensus” was reached for players to have at least 72 hours of rest between matches and a compulsory break period of at least 21 days at the conclusion of each season. This agreed duration is one week shorter than what FIFPRO had advocated for.
Furthermore, FIFA highlighted “productive discussions” that Infantino and other officials held with “representatives of various players` unions from around the world, with a specific focus on player rest and recovery.” However, BBC Sport reiterated that neither officials from FIFPRO, which represents 66,000 male and female footballers globally, nor from the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), representing players in England and Wales, were present at the main meeting. The binding nature of these agreed decisions remains uncertain.
