The Premier League and other European entitles have filed a lawsuit accusing FIFA of breaking EU competition law, following Jurgen Klopp’s passionate protest.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp resigned as Liverpool boss due to "running out of energy" amid a hectic season schedule.
The Premier League has joined other European leagues in launching legal action against FIFA regarding the overcrowding of its calendar, accusing the body of “an abuse of dominance”. FIFPRO, the federation representing professional players, including those from Liverpool, is also jointly filing the lawsuit.
Collective entity ‘European Leagues’ - which comprises and represents 31 members, including the Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership - says legal action is now the “only responsible step” amid claims that Fifa is disregarding player welfare and competition value. FIFA denies this.
From 2025, the Club World Cup will be expanded from seven teams to 32, with group stage matches before the knockout rounds. Next year, the inaugural edition is scheduled to be played during the European off-season between June and July.
This follows the inflated schedules in UEFA competitions, beginning next season, which includes two more group stage matches and a potential extra knockout play-off round.
Jurgen Klopp has been one of many leading football figures to voice his fury at the intense schedule.
Back in January the then-Liverpool boss hit out at competition organisers, stating: “While we are talking, probably UEFA and FIFA invents a new tournament and puts it in somewhere and suddenly getting a winter break in January is the least of our problems.
“That’s how it is. I won’t be in there deciding and I won’t have the power for that. At some point in the future, someone will have to press the brake.”
European Leagues has now decided to take up legal action by submitting a joint complaint with FIFPRO to the European Commission with the claim that FIFA is infringing on EU competition law.
A statement said: “The international match calendar is now beyond saturation and has become unsustainable for national leagues and a risk for the health of players.
“FIFA’s decisions over the last years have repeatedly favoured its own competitions and commercial interests, neglected its responsibilities as a governing body, and harmed the economic interests of national leagues and the welfare of players.
“Legal action is now the only responsible step for European leagues and player unions to protect football, its ecosystem and its workforce from FIFA’s unilateral decisions.
“The complaint will explain that FIFA’s conduct infringes EU competition law and notably constitutes an abuse of dominance: FIFA holds a dual role as both the global regulator of football and a competition organiser.”
FIFA has responded with a punchy statement of its own, accusing “some leagues” of “acting with commercial self-interest, hypocrisy, and without consideration to everyone else in the world.”
