Players union not invited to Fifa player welfare meeting

Global players’ union Fifpro was not invited to a “key” meeting that Fifa president Gianni Infantino held on player welfare where a minimum three-week off-season break was agreed, BBC Sport has been told.

World football’s governing body claimed Saturday’s talks in New York on the eve of the Club World Cup final “addressed key issues concerning player health”, including “critical matters related to the international match calendar”.

Fifa said there was a “consensus” that there should be at least 72 hours of rest between matches, and players should have a rest period of at least 21 days at the end of each season.

However, that is a week less than Fifpro had been demanding.

Fifa hailed “productive discussions” Infantino and other officials had with “representatives of several player unions from around the world… with a specific focus on player rest and recovery”.

But BBC Sport has been told no official from Fifpro – which represents 66,000 men’s and women’s players around the world – or the Professional Footballers’ Association, which represents players in England and Wales, was present at the meeting.

And it is not clear how binding any of the agreements are.

The BBC has been told Fifpro’s leadership is critical of the process leading to the announcement, and do not even recognise some of the officials that appear in a photograph Fifa released of the meeting.

Last year, amid a backlash over the expansion of the Club World Cup, Fifpro filed a legal complaint against Fifa, claiming it had abused its role under European competition law by adding more pressure to the fixture schedule.

Last month, a study released by Fifpro said professional footballers should be allowed at least a four-week off-season break to protect them from exhaustion and excessive workload.

Meanwhile, pressure on players is further increased by the rapid turnaround between games – Premier League teams who play in the Europa League and Conference League play on a Thursday night with their next league game on a Sunday.

Fifa said on Sunday that a rest day a week should be planned and player travel, especially long-haul intercontinental trips, as well as the weather conditions matches are played in, should also be considered for the next international Match Calendar.

It is unclear what impact – if any – the meeting will have on the legal action.

Last month Fifpro expressed concern about the “wake-up call” of extreme heat that players were being exposed to at the Club World Club, demanding more flexibility from Fifa on kick-off times and protocols.

Fifa said that it and the player unions “agreed on the importance of striking the right balance between national team football and club football, on the one hand, and between domestic, continental, and global club competitions, on the other hand”.

“It is important to create opportunities for players from all over the world to compete in top competitions as this boosts global football development,” it added.