Premier League amongst group to lodge complaint against FIFA over fixture congestion, with the schedule having gone ‘beyond saturation’

Leagues and associations will file a legal complaint with the European Commission on Monday, accusing FIFA of abusing a dominant position on the playing calendar.

The group, which also includes the Premier League through its membership of the European Leagues collective, claims that football’s global governing body did not properly consult on the new calendar before it was announced in March last year, and that the schedule as a result it has ‘gone beyond the current calendar’. saturation’.

The introduction of a 32-team Club World Cup every four years is seen as the tipping point, but the bigger problem, they say, is FIFA’s general behavior around the issue, claiming it is pursuing its own commercial interests, which in turn ‘harmed the economic interests of the national leagues and the well-being of the players.

League sources point to Manchester City’s recent request to postpone domestic matches at the start of next season to allow more recovery time after the Club World Cup as a prime example of how this new competition will impact fixtures and the quality of their own competition.

The Premier League can point to the fact that it has been a 20-team competition for almost thirty years, and that the buzz in club football is the result of expansion at international level by UEFA and now FIFA.

The group accuses FIFA of abusing a dominant position on the competition calendar

The introduction of a quadrennial Club World Cup with 32 teams is seen as the turning point

FIFA insists that the calendar announced at the 2023 Congress in Rwanda was the result of extensive consultation, and that it is fully within its rights to set the parameters of its own competitions, such as the Club World Cup, provided that they fit within the agreed calendar framework.

The leagues have also been accused of ‘hypocrisy’ by FIFA, which says these competitions ‘prefer a calendar full of friendlies and summer tours’, such as the Premier League’s own Summer Series.

FIFPRO Europe, the continental branch of the world players’ union FIFPRO, is also part of the action.

There have already been a number of examples of players speaking out about the demands of the calendar, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri saying players were ‘close’ to addressing the issue shortly before he suffered a season-ending injury.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said only those with the best squads complain about matches

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who has overseen the expansion of European club competitions, said on Thursday that the calendar has “reached its limit”, but added to the BBC: “Who is complaining? Those who earn the highest salaries and the teams with a roster of 25 top players.

‘Those with lower salaries and barely eleven players are not complaining. They love to play.”

The filing of the legal complaint marks the third week in a row in which a competition case has made headlines.

On October 4, the European Court of Justice ruled that some FIFA transfer rules breached competition and freedom of movement in the case of former Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra.

Earlier this week, the Premier League’s associated party transaction (APT) rules were found illegal following a challenge from Manchester City.