UEFA is giving the professional footballer’s union a seat on its executive committee in a move meant to give players more input on issues such as the congested match calendar.
UEFA and FIFPRO Europe announced a working agreement Tuesday that the union said will “increase the voice of players in European football governance.”
It comes during a season when stars like Ballon d’Or winner Rodri have warned they could strike to protest the number of games in an overloaded calendar of competitions.
“Players are at the heart of football, and their perspectives must shape the decisions taken,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement. “By inviting them to join the UEFA Executive Committee, we are creating a more inclusive future for the game, one in which the topic of player welfare will be at the forefront.”
The three-year deal was announced in the same month the FIFPRO Europe union helped file a formal complaint at the European Commission in Brussels that targeted world soccer body FIFA but not UEFA.
That legal filing between the European groups of player unions and domestic leagues claimed FIFA breaches EU competition law in the way the men’s World Cup and Club World Cup were expanded without proper consultation.
“UEFA has committed to involving FIFPRO Europe in any decision that could affect players’ employment conditions, or any potential competition reform that could impact players’ workload,” the union said in a statement from Paris where the accord was signed.
UEFA already added games this season to its top club competitions, the Champions League and Europa League, after decisions were taken in 2021 and 2022 under pressure from elite clubs who had plotted a breakaway Super League. That project failed after a fan-led backlash.
Some teams will now play 10 games instead of six to reach the round of 16 in the Champions League and Europa League.
UEFA also pledged to involve “active players and player representatives” in a Professional Players’ Advisory Forum that will meet for the first time in December.
The union delegate to the UEFA executive committee will take their seat in May, FIFPRO Europe said. Clubs already have a quota of two seats on the committee and the European Leagues group has one.
UEFA and FIFA have moved in recent weeks toward involving stakeholders more in decision-making after their authority to run soccer has been challenged by legal rulings, primarily from the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg including in the Super League case brought by Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“This agreement is a hugely positive milestone for professional players across Europe,” FIFPRO Europe President David Terrier said. “With player representation now anchored at UEFA’s highest level, we are securing a stronger voice for players where it matters most.”
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.
