FIFA and Players union disagrees , trade allegations over alleged blackmail, lack of financial transparency
FIFA has accused FIFPro, the global players’ union, of “blackmail” and a lack of financial transparency as tensions between the two bodies escalated.
On Thursday, Sergio Marchi, the new FIFPro president, told The Athletic in an exclusive interview that “the autocracy of FIFA’s president (Gianni Infantino)” was the “biggest obstacle” to his union.
Following a meeting with 58 player unions in the Netherlands on Friday, FIFPro doubled down on those criticisms, releasing a statement accusing FIFA of “seriously undermining” players’ rights with its “autocratic system of governance”.
Football’s world governing body responded with its own statement on Friday evening, arguing the players’ union had “chosen to pursue a path of public confrontation driven by artificial PR battles” which, rather than protecting player welfare, “aim to preserve their own personal positions and interests”.
The accusations mark a dramatic deterioration in relations between FIFA and FIFPro, who have clashed over issues such as player welfare and the football calendar.
