Fifa suffers legal setback just weeks before 2026 World Cup kick-off
Fifa has suffered a legal blow just weeks before the World Cup after the French footballers’ union UNFP achieved a landmark decision in the European courts.
The UNFP has successfully advanced a complaint about the health and safety of players’ working conditions and a lack of collective bargaining as a result of decisions made by Fifa.
The UNFP’s complaint at the European Committee of Social Rights is against the French state for failing to uphold protections that it has committed to under the European Social Charter.
It will now proceed to a full hearing and, if successful, will apply pressure to governments across Europe to hold Fifa to account over its decisions to expand the global calendar, adding to the workload of professional footballers.
“Violations of fundamental labour rights – on health and safety, working time, and the right to collective bargaining – are not isolated failures of individual states,” said a statement from international players’ union Fifpro Europe.
“They are a structural feature of professional football, driven by Fifa’s expanding competition formats and its unilateral decision-making and control over the international match calendar, in which players and their representatives have no meaningful say.
Case has implications well beyond France
“France is not alone: many other states are in a comparable situation, with minimum standards for working time, rest periods, occupational health and collective bargaining structurally undermined by decisions taken at global level.
“Fifpro Europe therefore regards the UNFP complaint as a signal case with implications well beyond France.”
The legal battle is the latest to be waged between player unions and Fifa as a result of the governing body’s introduction of a 32-team Club World Cup and expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams.
It comes little more than a month before the biggest ever men’s World Cup is due to kick off in the USA, Canada and Mexico.