Players remain fearful of speaking out about their heavy workload because of the impact it could have on their careers, a top player union official has said.
FIFA has been accused of “turning a blind eye to the basic needs of players” in a statement issued by world players’ union FIFPRO, which also likened FIFA president Gianni Infantino to an “emperor”.
Top footballers are afraid to speak out against playing too many matches for fear of the impact it could have on their careers, the general secretary of global players’ union FIFPro said.
Alex Phillips was speaking after FIFPro held a meeting in Amsterdam with 58 national player unions from around the world to discuss concerns over the way the sport’s world governing body FIFA is managing global football.
The meeting came less than two weeks after the end of the first 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.
A tournament hailed as a huge success by FIFA president Gianni Infantino but criticised by FIFPro for the demands it has placed on players already faced with a crowded schedule.
“Before the Club World Cup, I was speaking to some of the top stars and they were saying they hadn’t had a rest for ‘X’ amount of time,” Phillips said.
“One of them even said, ‘I’ll only get a rest when I get injured’. Others were resigned actually, and cynical about speaking up.
“Then you see some of the same players two weeks later having to record social media videos saying ‘We think the Club World Cup is great,’ because their employers are telling them to do it.
“You have this contradictory situation where players can’t speak up. They are in an invidious position. They can speak up but it might have consequences.”
