FIFPro Study: Football Failed To Apply Work Safety Standards

JAKARTA - The International Federation of Professional Footballers or FIFPro in its study said professional football failed to implement the required work safety standards.

According to their report published on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, it clearly violates the legal framework at the European and global levels.

The report from the Belgian University of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) was commissioned by the FIFPro global footballer union.

The report will be submitted as evidence for a joint complaint filed with European antitrust regulator against FIFA by the European FIFPro, European leagues, especially La Liga.

The elite leagues accuse FIFA of abusing the impact of the expanded calendar on player welfare, including decisions around the Extended Club World Cup next year.

"Sometimes it's surprising that, in the world of sports in general, employment standards are sometimes ignored."

"From the perspective of employment law, the most logical conclusion is that professional football players are workers. National and international employment standards must be applied," said Frank Hendrickx, Director of the Labor Law Institute at KU Leuven.

The FIFPro argues that demands such as numbers of matches, international travel, late-night travel, and sleep disturbances, as well as demands that are large during the tournament, are not taken into account during the schedule and format of the competition.

"The report confirms that the Job Safety and Health (K3) standard, as set by the European and international framework, is fully applicable to the professional football industry," Hendrickx said in an official statement.

A joint lawsuit against FIFA, filed in Brussels on October 14, 2024, claims the implementation of FIFA's decision on the international calendar constitutes abuse of power and violates EU law.

"FIFA not only fails to protect the health and safety of players, but also actively make these principles (health and safety) impossible to comply with."

"So, there is an element of active threat. The way FIFA regulates the calendar makes it impossible to comply with collective bargaining agreements, for example, so it is relevant to our case," said Alfonso Lamadrid, a lawyer at Garrigues and competition law expert at the European Union.

Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment, but there has been no answer.

Meanwhile, the study looked at job demands and resources in professional play, particularly stress triggers from a high-risk work environment, and examined legal obligations around health and safety standards.

The 2025 Club World Cup is one of the biggest sources of dispute. The number of participants increased from seven to 32 clubs and left little rest time for players between the league season.

" Fatigue is quite common reported in professional football. Not only seeing physical fatigue, but also mental fatigue."

"We can clearly state that the incidence rate (injury) is much higher in the football industry than in other industries."

"The main determination is the burden on the calendar, but also the variations in training and the burden of matches," said Lode Godderis, an expert in occupational health and safety and professor at KU Leuven.

Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPro's Director of Policy and Strategic Relations for Male Football, said more players than ever who talked about the busy schedule.

"They all have the same message. Entering a busy season with more competitions, a new Champions League format, a new Club World Cup format, and a World Cup in 2026."

"The players understand that they are starting to pay a price ahead of a very important time for their careers they don't want to accept anymore," Bielefeld said.

The study will also serve as supporting evidence in separate legal action against FIFA filed by the English Professional Footballers Association, Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels France, and Italy's Associate Italiana Calciatori.