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FIFPRO and European Leagues Challenge FIFA FIFPRO and European Leagues have taken a significant step by filing a formal complaint against FIFA with the European Commission, accusing the governing body of "abusive and anti-competitive" practices related to the international match calendar. The complaint, filed on 14 October 2024, also involves La Liga and the PFA, representing a collective push for change in how FIFA handles global football scheduling. The main issues outlined include an oversaturated match calendar that poses risks to player welfare and the sustainability of domestic competitions. The complainants argue that FIFA has expanded major tournaments, such as the 32-team Club World Cup and the 48-team World Cup, without adequate consultation with players, clubs, or leagues, prioritising commercial interests over stakeholder engagement and athlete health. This complaint adds to a series of legal challenges questioning FIFA’s governance, following scrutiny over player agent regulations and the European Super League. The complainants seek a more collaborative decision-making process to ensure future scheduling considers player welfare and the stability of domestic leagues, without challenging FIFA’s authority as the global regulator. FIFA has responded by asserting that it consulted relevant bodies, such as FIFPRO, on the 2025-30 match calendar and maintains its adherence to regulatory standards. As the European Commission reviews the case, this challenge could have significant implications for football governance, potentially fostering greater transparency and stakeholder collaboration in future decisions. https://lnkd.in/eUFqGPX7 #Footballbusiness #FIFA

Unfortunately, FIFA's football agents directory has been down for weeks. The digital card for FIFA licensed agents is now the official means of identification, with its pros and cons. However, national football associations also provide this information in different forms and levels of detail, so let's take a look at the registers of football agents in the top 5 European markets: How many agents are there in Germany? What information can you find in the register in Italy? What is the technical medium of the register in France? What is the ratio of agents to players in England? What is publicly available in the register in Spain? Stay tuned. We will start next week with the host of EURO 2024... Feel free to add a link to the register of football agents in your country in the comments. #ffar #sportsbusiness #footballregulation #sportslaw #footballlaw #football #footballnews #footballagent #footballbusiness #fifa #uefa #conmebol #concacaf #caf #afc #ofc #ffaronline #transparency #knowledge #hub #england #france #germany #italy #spain #register #euro2024 #top5 #eu #europe #europeanunion

🌎 Controversy has started for FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Not surprising, but why? FIFA's decision to limit Europe's participation in next summer’s Club World Cup has caused discomfort. Only 2 European teams per league are guaranteed spots, and obviously, some of the richest clubs are not happy. UEFA clubs have dominated global football for years, but FIFA now wants to give other continents a bigger stage to compete. (Well, that sounds reasonable to me.) We'll have 32 teams competing in a new model for the competition, increasing representativeness and unpredictability. Will the traditional European powerhouses still dominate, or could we start to see a shift? 👀 This is set to be a tournament full of interesting matches yet intriguing conspiracies. What do you think - are these changes good for football, or is FIFA pushing too far? Let’s talk in the comments! 💬 P.S. We created a Free Football Community for everyone. 🔍 If you're a 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘁: https://lnkd.in/d_P2XvSu. 📋 If you're a 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: https://lnkd.in/dy-ZpuGt. 📞 If you're an 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁: https://lnkd.in/dn9cSRbs.

Breaking Even or Breaking Rules? FC Barcelona v. UEFA The recent decision in FC Barcelona v. UEFA delves deeply into the intricacies of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations, particularly in the context of revenue categorization. The Author: Ujwal Trivedi is a Partner of Manilal Kher Ambalal & Co. He is also a Licensed FIFA agent. Read the Viewpoint here: https://lnkd.in/dRQ-DFAd #CourtofArbitrationforSport #financialreportinginfootball #UEFA #FCBarcelona #TheViewpoint #BarandBench

Latest News FIFA has agreed on interim transfer rules aiming to help players change teams and go to the Club World Cup in the United States next June-July. The move on Thursday opens the door for players whose contracts expire on June 30 to sign early as free agents for one of the 32 teams who qualified for the relaunched FIFA club tournament. They include Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Potential free agents who could be pursued by Club World Cup teams include Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, plus Lille forward Jonathan David and Tottenham captain Son Heung-min. FIFA's council approved interim transfer market rules that give member federations the option of opening an exceptional transfer window from June 1-10. If agreements are reached between clubs, the FIFA transfer amendments would let players represent a new team for two weeks from mid-June, before their formal contract expires, in a tournament that is technica

The UEFA House is on fire ♨ ♨ ♨ 🚒 🚒 🚒 (Part 9) As promised at the end of Part 8 ( 👉 https://lnkd.in/evttiYEZ), we will finish analyzing FIFA's strategy in this post before moving on to UEFA's. As previously discussed, while UEFA falls directly under European Union regulation (European Commission and Cour de justice de l'Union européenne), this is not the case for FIFA, which is only accountable to Switzerland regarding its activities, where its headquarters are located. Despite this situation, #FIFA finds itself obliged to consider European regulations due to the #economic weight of clubs within the EU. Indeed, the best #football #clubs in the world are located in #European #Union countries, and it's in #Europe that #football generates the most #financial revenue. In fact, #football is #Europe! #European #football dominates world #football both sportingly and economically. The European #market is therefore currently unavoidable for #FIFA. It's not surprising that European regulations have a significant influence on FIFA's decisions. It's also not surprising that the generally favored candidate to succeed the FIFA president comes from #UEFA. #FIFA is perfectly aware of this situation. This is why it's not only in the missions but also in the interest of #FIFA's "sacred" #autonomy that other continents develop both sportingly and economically. The more their #power increases, the less constraining Europe's will be. The major #problem that "#Africa must overcome for the development of African #football is #economic. This is why #FIFA explicitly encourages the development of a closed trans-African league called the "African Super League" or ASL (does this remind you of anything? What if I say ESL 😉). American culture is one of closed leagues. It's therefore not surprising that the #MLS developed according to this principle; with FIFA's explicit encouragement. These examples clearly show that #FIFA defends what suits it. #FIFA's sincerity in its "unwavering" support, before the representatives of the Cour de justice de l'Union européenne, for the #European open #model must therefore be strongly questioned. By supporting #UEFA, #FIFA is not defending either the values or the effectiveness of the #European #model. No, it's defending its own #economic and #political interests. #UEFA also defends its own interests... ... To be continued in my next post ✉😉 If this topic interests you, I'll tell you all about it in my upcoming book 📖 "Towards a new organization of football and sport in Europe" (HLSC Edition) 😁"

HERE WE GO! FIFA has just released the International Transfer Snapshot on the 2024 mid-year transfer window, which reveals a new record for international transfers in men's and women's professional football combined during the period 👉 12.125. Highlights: 👨 11.000 international transfers, +4.9% compared to 2023 mid-year and a new record; 💰 USD 6.46bn spent on transfer fees, the second highest ever; 👩 1.125 international transfers, +31.9% compared to 2023 mid-year; 💰 USD 6.8mi spent on transfer fees, more than twice the amount of the same period last year. #transfermarket #football #sportsbusiness https://lnkd.in/d2sYRZ76

📢 UEC statement on FIFA's expanded Club World Cup and its potential impact on European club football The Union of European Clubs (#UEC) is deeply concerned about the recent developments regarding FIFA's expanded Club World Cup. The media rights deal announced yesterday suggests that FIFA is progressing towards its funding target, with potential benefits seemingly limited to only 12 European clubs, and no clear information provided on solidarity payments. This raises significant questions about how these revenues will affect competitive balance, mobility, and sporting merit within European football. The lack of transparency surrounding the decision to organise this competition is of great concern, particularly as European Leagues, LALIGA, and FIFPRO have filed a legal complaint against FIFA for proceeding without any consultation. Furthermore, it would appear that only one European stakeholder, the European Club Association (ECA), supports this direction, without clarifying how its own members were consulted. Without meaningful consultation, broader inclusion and consideration of the impact on football at all levels, we believe such initiatives risk deepening the divide within European club football, favouring a select few while undermining the long-term health of the sport. #OneClubOneVote

The recent announcement regarding #FootballAgent regulations in Italy from the FIGC (Italian Football FederationA) earlier in the week may have been a little underwhelming for some. Especially, since the "new" #FIGC Agents Regulations are yet to be published (and they come into force) as they are still subject to CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee) approval. Although these are not the long-anticipated new Italian Football Agent regulations, those in the football agent space should be aware of the amendments to the wording in the existing agent regulations to account for those #FFAR rules currently suspended by FIFA (as per circular no. 1873). The press release from 1st October'24 is attached, with basic translations in 🇬🇧/🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇹,🇫🇷,🇩🇪,🇪🇸 and the original 🇮🇹 (as per the FIGC's wording). As soon as any new regulations are announced The Agents Angle will aim to bring you an update from Italy ASAP." #AgenteDiCalcio #AgentRegulations #FootballAgent #FIFAagent #FootballRegulation

Another addition to an already gruelling schedule or a chance to push the game forward? Today FIFA announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States. It will feature 32 of the best teams around the globe, battling out for the title of best club in the world. But with the tournament taking place across June and July, the worry is that even more pressure will be placed on players, who already have few breaks throughout the year. Sandwiched between the Euros and the World Cup, some players will not have a proper break for over three years. What does this mean for the quality of the competition? The flip side is the exposure clubs outside of Europe will receive to a wider audience and income opportunities. Qualification earns each club €50 million, which is a substantial figure. What do you guys think of the Club World Cup? Are you excited to see a brand new tournament or do you think there's already too much football? #FIFA #ClubWorldCup #2025 #Football #Sport #Content #SocialMedia