FIFA Pledges Commitment to Player Welfare Amid Controversy Over Expanded Tournaments
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has emphasized the organization’s commitment to player health and welfare as debates intensify over the impact of expanding international tournaments on athletes.
With the introduction of larger competitions like the revamped 32-team Club World Cup, concerns have arisen about the potential strain on players due to an increasingly congested calendar.
In October, a coalition consisting of the players’ union FIFPRO, Spain’s LaLiga, and the European leagues’ association lodged a formal complaint with European Union antitrust regulators. They accused FIFA of “calendar abuse,” suggesting that the expansion of tournaments could lead to an overwhelming number of matches, leaving players little time for recovery between seasons.
Addressing these concerns in a recent interview with CNN, Infantino sought to downplay the potential negative effects of the Club World Cup on player welfare. He noted, “It is a competition which takes place once every four years. The winner plays seven games—which is like one game and a half, almost, more a year—so it doesn’t have a big impact.”
Infantino pointed out that the actual burden of matches is concentrated among a select group of teams and players who often progress to the latter stages of multiple competitions. “What happens in world soccer is that there are many games for very few teams, very few players,” he explained. “Those who reach maybe the final stages of all competitions, which again is very rare… So all in all, it balances itself out quite a bit.”
The FIFA president stressed the organization’s careful consideration of the calendar and the well-being of players. “We want to do everything for the players to be in the best conditions to perform in the best way,” he asserted.
He acknowledged that many players prefer competing in matches rather than training, reinforcing FIFA’s commitment to optimizing the playing experience.
Infantino also highlighted the work of a FIFA taskforce led by former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, which is currently assessing the impact of the Club World Cup and other tournaments on player welfare.
