FIFPRO Slams ‘Autocratic’ FIFA, Says Football Needs ‘Leaders, Not Emperors’

The global football players’ union, FIFPRO, has launched a scathing attack on FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, accusing the world governing body of an “autocratic style of leadership” that is harming the rights and welfare of its members.

In a strongly worded statement released Friday, the union declared, “Football needs responsible leadership, not emperors,” and called for “more genuine, inclusive and transparent dialogue” instead of “autocratic monologues.”

The statement comes in the wake of the recently concluded, newly expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. The tournament drew heavy criticism for its addition to an already overloaded global match calendar and for scheduling games in extreme heat, with players reporting feeling unwell.

FIFPRO condemned FIFA for celebrating the tournament “despite being held under conditions that were extreme and inappropriate for any human being, demonstrating a troubling insensitivity to human rights, even when it concerns elite athletes.”

The rift between the two organizations deepened two weeks ago when Infantino hosted a meeting in New York with a group of player representatives, which FIFPRO stated consisted of “mostly non-recognized officials,” effectively bypassing the official union structure.

This ongoing dispute is set against the backdrop of a formal legal complaint filed by FIFPRO’s European division and various national leagues with the European Commission. The complaint alleges that FIFA’s unilateral decision-making, particularly regarding the match calendar and the new Club World Cup, constitutes an “abuse of dominance” and violates competition laws.

“FIFPRO reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of men and women players — rights which are being seriously undermined by commercial policies imposed by its autocratic system of governance,” the Netherlands-based union said. “This is a model that puts the health of players at risk and sidelines those at the heart of the game.”

The formal working agreement between FIFPRO and FIFA expired in 2023, and the latest public fallout highlights the significant breakdown in relations between the game’s administrators and the official representatives of its players.