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The general secretary of the global players’ union FIFPro stated on Friday that the top footballers are reluctant to speak out against playing too many games because they fear the impact it might have on their careers.

After FIFPro met with 58 national player unions from around the world to discuss concerns about FIFA’s management of global football, Alex Phillips spoke at a meeting in Amsterdam.

The first 32-team Club World Cup in the United States, which was praised as a huge success by FIFA president Gianni Infantino but criticised by FIFPro for the demands it has placed on players who were already battling a crowded schedule, came less than two weeks after the end of the tournament.

Some of the best players claimed they hadn’t had a rest for “X” of time before the Club World Cup, according to Phillips.

One of them even said, “I’ll only get a rest when I’m injured.” Some people were cynical about speaking up, and some were resigned.

Then, two weeks later, you notice some of the same players recording social media videos saying, “We think the Club World Cup is great,” as a result of their employers’ orders to do it.

Players are unable to speak up in this contradictory circumstance. They are in a vicious position. They are free to speak up, but it may have consequences.

FIFPro cited FIFA’s recent emphasis on the United States’ Club World Cup as an example of the organization ignoring a number of fundamentally more crucial issues that players around the world are facing.

In a statement, FIFPro cited the “overloaded” match schedule, the concern over the Club World Cup, and “ongoing disregard for players’ social rights. It is unacceptable for an organization that claims global leadership.

READ MORE: 2024 WAFCON: Nigeria’s 10th Crown Vs. Morocco’s Title-Chasing Host.

Last year, FIFPro Europe complained to the European Commission, alleging that FIFA had violated its policies with regard to the organization’s handling of international match days.

Following FIFA’s decision to hold a meeting on the eve of the most recent Club World Cup final, the union held the summit on Friday.

In an interview with The Athletic, Argentinian president of FIFPro, Sergio Marchi, this week criticized Infantino’s leadership of FIFA and claimed that he was “running an autocracy.”

FIFA responded to FIFPro on Friday by calling for dialogue “with legitimate bodies that put player welfare first” and claiming to have unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the union to come to its meeting in New York on July 12th.

The Zurich-based organization stated that “FIFA is extremely disappointed by the FIFPRO leadership’s increasingly divisive and contradictory tone.”

This strategy “demonstrates that FIFPRO has chosen to pursue a path of public confrontation” in order to protect “their own personal positions and interests” rather than engage in constructive dialogue.

The Super Falcons will be chasing a record-extending 10th title when Nigeria face Morocco on Saturday in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final. &nbsp,

It is the host nation’s second successive final and another chance to triumph over the world’s top-flight team. &nbsp,

Nigeria, which has won nine of their past nine contests, refers to this year’s campaign as “Mission X,” which aims to win their tenth continental crown. The West Africans will take on a team that hasn’t lost a match in the tournament when they face the Atlas Lionesses, who will be supported by a home crowd. &nbsp,

The Super Falcons’ path to the championship match hasn’t been entirely smooth. Nigeria needed a 94th-minute goal to win 2-1 in the semi-final with South Africa’s Banyana Banyana. &nbsp,

Morocco defeated the Black Queens of Ghana 4-2 on penalties at the Stade Olympique in Rabat, which was even more difficult because the game ended 1-1 in both regular and extra-time. &nbsp,

The 2022 WAFCON semi-final will be re-created on Saturday with a re-enactment of the original. The West Africans played the game with nine players for the majority of the game, losing 5-4 on penalties (1-1).

Experience Meets Emerging Side At WAFCON Final: Nigeria vs. Morocco

The stage is a familiar home for The Super Falcons. Their 10th appearance in the 2024 World Cup final is at that time. They have won all of the tournament’s finals, including the 2008, 2012, and 2022 finals, but have only lost once. Nigeria has also completed four Olympic Games campaigns and nine World Cup appearances. &nbsp,

The Atlas Lionesses, who are only experiencing a meteoric rise in women’s football in Africa, stand out for their intimidating credentials. The North Africans finished second in their first-ever World Cup a year after they hosted them in 2022. &nbsp,

The Moroccans will now be ready to lay down a marker in women’s football in their second final of the World Cup of Football. &nbsp,

Player to Watch In Blockbuster Between Morocco and Nigeria

The Super Falcons will be counting on them to take the team one step further by winning on Saturday as a parade of stars that will include the Super Falcons.

Captain Rasheedat Ajibade has excelled in the competition, winning the Woman of the Match award three times in five games for Nigeria. She will be supported by an army of talented players, including Esther Okoronkwo, the top goal scorer, who is expected to lead her team when they take on the hosts.

The midfield managed by the diligent Halimatu Ayinde will be capable of supplying the experienced Osinachi Ohale, who will be in charge of the backline. &nbsp,

The Super Falcons are a difficult team to defeat, but Ghizlane Chebbak, a proven scorer, will be in charge. With four goals, the Levante Badalona star is the tournament’s top scorer.

Yasmin Mrabet, who has seven of the Atlas Lionesses’ 11 goals, is another player who can harm. However, a side facing the highly qualified Nigerians is greatly disappointed by their fragile defense. Morocco has conceded in every tournament game. &nbsp, &nbsp,

At WAFCON, Nigeria and Morocco have a head-to-head record.

The North Africans have only met Nigeria twice before Morocco hosted the final WAFCON event. The Super Falcons defeated them 8-0 and 6-0 in those games, respectively, in 1998 and 2000. However, the host countries underwent a significant transformation in 2022, and they defeated Nigeria on penalties before falling to South Africa in the final. &nbsp,

Final Schedule for the 2024 World Cup between Nigeria and Morocco

Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025

9:00 p.m. (WAT/Nigeria time). &nbsp,

Location: Morocco’s Stade Olympique in Rabat.

Final Thoughts on the 2024 World Cup Finals in Morocco

After missing the team’s All-Star Game earlier this week, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba were given a suspension, according to the league.

Messi and Alba were informed in a statement released on Friday that they would miss Saturday’s game against FC Cincinnati because of their absence at this week’s All-Star showpiece.

Any player who does not take part in the All-Star Game without the league’s approval is ineligible to play in their club’s next game, according to league rules, according to a brief statement from the league.

In Wednesday’s game against a team selected from Mexico’s Liga-MX as part of the league’s All-Star break, Messi and Alba were both chosen to play for a combined MLS side.

However, both players withdrawn from the showpiece early on Wednesday for unknown reasons.

Messi and Alba were both subject to sanctions as a result of the 11th-hour snub.

Players chosen for the All-Star game are required to participate under MLS rules unless they have a valid excuse, such as an injury, to do so.

The decision, according to MLS commissioner Don Garber, was described as a “very difficult decision” and stated on Friday that the league had been given no choice but to suspend players from duty this weekend.

Lionel Messi is a fan of this league, Garber said. There isn’t, in my opinion, a player or person who has contributed more to Major League Soccer than Messi. I fully respect his decision, as well as his commitment to Inter Miami.

Unfortunately, we had to impose a long-standing rule governing all-star game participation. It was a very difficult choice.

Garber, however, stated that MLS would look over its current policy in the future.

He declared, “We’re going to take a hard look at the policy going forward.” He added, “I’m going to work with our players to figure out how the rule should change.”

Messi is “very upset,”

In a conference call with reporters later on Friday, Inter Miami’s billionaire co-owner Jorge Mas criticized the team’s decision to suspend Messi and Alba, describing Messi as “very upset” by the decision.

Leo Messi is “very upset,” he says. Mas, who is currently in talks with Messi about a potential extension to his current contract, which expires at the end of this year, said, “I hope it doesn’t have a long-term impact.”

Will it affect Messi’s perception of the league and its rules? Without a doubt. Everyone else is unique, including Lionel. He wants to play competitive sports, Mas added.

Garber addressed the league on Wednesday, saying the organization should have known about the absence but felt sympathy for Messi’s difficult schedule.

The Argentinian superstar, 38, has played nine games in 35 days, including four games in the FIFA Club World Cup, for 90 minutes each.

“Miami’s schedule is unique among all other teams,” they say. The majority of our teams took a 10-day break. Miami hasn’t. So as a league, we must maneuver through that, Garber said.

After Miami coach Javier Mascherano stated last weekend that he would have preferred the duo be excused from All-Star duties, Messi and Alba’s participation in the game had become murky.

The players are summoned to the stands. “I’d prefer they rest,” said Maserano, but it’s not my choice.

Shehu Dikko, the national sports commission chair, clarified the story behind alleged delays in the Super Falcons’ allowance payments prior to the 2025 WAFCON finals.

Dikko said, “People need to understand that this money is never deliberately delayed,” during a discussion on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday. Because of the government’s procedures, of course.

He noted that the bureaucratic nature of government processes frequently caused the delays that were often assumed to be unwelcome.

He emphasized that the Nigerian Football Federation had given the president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, approval for all bonuses, including those for the final game.

According to him, “the instruction is that the girls should make sure the girls receive their money at the earliest possible time today.”

Dikko also reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to fairness and noted that the female players had always been taken into account when funding the national sports budget.

In contrast to the men’s team, which receives up to $10,000 per tournament, he said, “The females are at least getting the respectable bonuses they deserve.”

Dikko reaffirmed the commission’s support for the team, noting that the Super Falcons have always been a part of the sports budget.

He urged the general public to comprehend the difficulties involved in distributing public funds.

“Wafcon Focus Is To Win”

Dikko praised the campaign’s theme, “Mission X,” which represents the team’s desire to win their tenth WAFCON title while expressing optimism ahead of the final game.

He praised the Falcons’ perseverance, perseverance, and ability to avoid distractions.

He praised the players’ mentality and resolve, saying, “The focus is to get the cup tomorrow.”

He stayed away from specific score predictions and said he was confident in the team’s ability to win the trophy.

He also praised the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and other dignitaries’ motivational speeches as a source of inspiration for the players, acknowledging the wave of national support for the team.