FIFA and the FIFPRO Players Association announced on Wednesday that they had agreed a landmark cooperation agreement on key decisions such as transfer rules and health and safety standards.
The memorandum of understanding agreement, which FIFA calls “historic”, was announced on the eve of the opening World Cup match. The ruling came 10 months after the European Court of Justice ruled that some decisions by international governing bodies such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee can be challenged outside Switzerland.
This announcement comes less than two months after the announcement. new international group The International Association of Football Players (AIF), which represents soccer players, was established in Madrid in April as an organization comparable to FIFPRO.
As part of the new agreement, FIFPRO will be recognized by FIFA as the world representative of professional football players and any legal action against FIFA will be dropped by FIFPRO, its departments and affiliated unions.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “This memorandum marks a new era in the relationship between FIFA and FIFPRO.” “Players shape the games we all love, and we must ensure their protection and well-being. That’s why we have jointly built a sustainable pathway to ensure that decisions that directly impact players are made based on a collective process based on social dialogue.”
The agreement was announced two days after FIFA announced it had reached a settlement with Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow over a lawsuit caused by former France midfielder Lassana Diarra, who missed the 2014-15 season.
The agreement between FIFA and FIFPRO runs until 2031 and means players, governing bodies, leagues and clubs must jointly agree on future decisions.
A Global Social Dialogue Platform will be established, chaired by FIFA, to discuss issues such as the transfer system and regulatory matters, player welfare, player rest and recovery, holidays, and occupational health and safety standards, including mandatory rest periods and retraining. Any future changes shall be subject to the collective bargaining agreement. The platform will include representatives from the World League Association and European football clubs.
FIFPRO will appoint representatives to FIFA’s soccer tribunals, judiciary and several committees, while the association will have non-voting observers on the FIFA Council. The parties will establish a framework of minimum standards for the women’s national team and work on the distribution of prize money from FIFA senior competitions.
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