FIFPro issues ultimatum: FIFA ignores player rights, we are ready to fight
6686 Sports reported on November 12, according to Spanish newspaper As reported that FIFPro (International Federation of Professional Footballers) Chairman Malki recently sent a letter to FIFA and its Chairman Infantino, pointing out that FIFA has been inconsistent in words and deeds for many years and has ignored the basic rights of players.
Malki pointed out at the beginning of the letter: "2025 is coming to an end, but the problems in world football have not changed at all. FIFA has made high-profile promises for reform many times and delivered moving speeches, as if it was about to usher in a new era. However, in the end, it was just empty words with no actual actions, and it was business as usual."
He further criticized: "Throughout this year, everyone has been talking about schedule reform, saying that they must protect the physical and mental health of male and female players. and the right to rest, to create a more humane and rational football environment. But the reality is that the season is getting longer and the schedule of three days and even more intensive is common. Long-distance flights are exhausting, and there is no recovery time. Players are treated as inexhaustible machines instead of flesh and blood. Playing more is hurtful and lacks development opportunities and guarantees. We have spoken out and appealed again and again, only to be silenced and ignored. "
Malki also specifically mentioned a recent meeting held by FIFA in Morocco: "They convened some unions to discuss schedule issues, but deliberately excluded other voices. This kind of 'selective listening' itself is a kind of exclusion. What is even more annoying is that today's competition arrangements are increasingly regardless of the life and death of players - playing in high temperatures and starting games in the early morning...Sports energy has long given way to commercial interests. The Club World Cup just held in the United States is a typical example: everything is just To make money, there is no regard for the feelings and health of players and fans."
At the end of the letter, Malki expressed his attitude: "As the global chairman of FIFPro, I always believe in the power of dialogue and am willing to promote change in a constructive way. But I must also be clear: If dialogue cannot lead to action, then we are ready to fight. My only goal is to protect the well-being of players of all levels and genders around the world."