FIFA and FIFPRO join forces to combat social media hate speech

FIFPRO denounces inconsistent CAS jurisprudence on sporting succession

CAS victory for Ofosu Appiah after latest data company-backed case collapses

Representatives of players and leagues sign football governance manifesto - FIFPRO World Players' Union

As football governance enters a critical phase, FIFPRO and European Leagues have announced a manifesto to embed collective governance standards and agreements throughout the professional game.

Players in Australia welcome new deal about working conditions

Rise in excessive back-to-back matches in men's football, FIFPRO research shows

The amount of back-to-back matches in elite men’s professional football has increased over the last three years, with some footballers spending 70 to 80 percent of their playing time in a two-game-a-week rhythm, according to a new FIFPRO report.

Mind the gap: 67 percent of footballers unsure of second career path, FIFPRO survey finds

• Two out of three professional footballers are not sure what they will do when they stop playing
• Brussels University surveyed 282 footballers in 33 countries as part of the 'Mind the Gap' campaign
• FIFPRO's Jonas Baer-Hoffmann says findings are a 'wake-up call' to the industry to assist young players

Five reasons why Romanian football needs to be fixed

FIFPRO is appalled by the employment situation of professional footballers in Romania and the lack of urgency shown by the country’s football association (FRF) to find adequate solutions for this disturbing situation.

LawInSport Weekly News Roundup - 10 September

Welcome to LawInSport’s weekly News Roundup.  We have curated the top ten news pieces from around the world of sport. For further updates, please visit our news section.

We hope you find this useful. If you have any related questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

CZECH PLAYERS BANNED FROM THEIR FIRST TEAM

Human rights breaches in Belarus

INTERPOL Integrity in Sport Bi-Weekly Bulletin 16-29 March 2021

FIFPRO publishes covid-19 recovery recommendations

FIFPRO is today publishing a set of recommendations to rebuild and strengthen the professional football industry during the pandemic, at the same time as protecting jobs, careers and the wellbeing of players.

Players had to live like beggars after being scammed by fake agents

FIFPRO is campaigning to alert professional footballers to the danger of fake agents and scammers in the game.

ECA and FIFPRO jointly develop guidelines on player health protection

Clubs and player unions through their representative bodies – ECA and FIFPRO – have developed international guidelines on player health protection during the emergency calendar of football competitions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Raising Our Game’: Lifting up women’s professional football

FIFPRO is today launching Raising Our Game, a forward-thinking report about women’s professional football which puts players at the heart of the planned development and rebuilding of the sport after the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19: implications for women’s football

A new FIFPRO paper warns that the growth of professional women’s football and evolution into a strong and viable industry is threatened by the implications of Covid-19. The absence of basic worker protections and global industry standards for working conditions in women’s football also mean the livelihoods of female players are extremely vulnerable.

Coronavirus: FIFPro welcomes football stakeholder unity

We fully support the decisions by UEFA and CONMEBOL to postpone respectively Euro 2020 and the Copa America in order to protect public health and free up time to finish the national football leagues which are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Players Alert FIFPRO To Coronavirus Fears

Statement: Moussa Marega and racism in professional football

The racist abuse towards FC Porto player Moussa Marega highlights once again the failure to protect professional footballers from discrimination and racial vilification.

FIFA and FIFPro launch global fund for player salary protection

FIFA and FIFPRO have reached an agreement to establish the FIFA Fund for Football Players (FIFA FFP), which aims to provide financial support to players who have not been paid and have no chance of duly receiving the wages agreed with their clubs.

FIFPro underlines commitment to player activism

FIFPRO has underlined its commitment to player activism after the International Olympic Committee released guidelines, clarifying that athletes are subject to sanctions by making political gestures on the podium, in the Olympic village, at the opening and closing ceremonies, or on the field of play.

Unveiling football’s Global Player Council

FIFPRO is launching a Global Player Council to strengthen the role of professional footballers in shaping their industry at an international level.

FIFPRO announces new General Secretary

FIFpro statement on IFAB establishing an expert group on concussion in football

Unilateral extension options in football contracts: Are they valid and enforceable?

Published Monday, 13 June 2022.

Explainer: UEFA’s new Financial Sustainability regulations

How 100 American women players negotiated their first collective deal

FIFPRO to host football governance forum in Brussels

• With major decisions ahead, event brings together player unions and leagues
• FIFPRO’s Jonas Baer-Hoffmann to call for urgent remodeling of football governance
• Premier League, Eredivisie and Superliga among stakeholders participating

FIFPRO and UEFA join forces to fight match-fixing

FIFPRO and UEFA have signed a joint cooperation agreement that recognises the Red Button whistleblowing app as the go-to platform for professional footballers to report possible match-fixing incidents. 

FIFPRO Americas division makes organisational changes

FIFPRO’s division in the Americas has made organisational changes with a view to strengthening the representation of professional footballers across the region. The division is also taking another step towards becoming more diverse and inclusive after two women were elected to its regional board.

Diane Caldwell: young girls in Ireland will benefit from this equal pay deal

• The Irish football association recently agreed to equal match fees for the men’s and women’s national teams
• Vice-Captain Diane Caldwell says this is a life-changing achievement for many players
• The 33-year old defender remembers the fight that led to this historic moment

FIFPRO calls for proper negotiation on reforms of international match calendar

FIFPRO today stresses once again that any plans to change the men’s or women’s International Match Calendar must address the players’ concerns such as an expanding workload at the top of the game, the need to protect and improve jobs for the majority of our members around the world and protecting the promising advancement of the women’s professional game. Proposals isolating further expansions such as a biennial World Cup – as well as other competition reforms under discussion – are inadequate in the absence of solutions for existing problems. Without the agreement of the players, who bring all competitions to life on the pitch, no such reforms will have the required legitimacy.

INTERVIEW: FRENCH DEFENDER CEDRIC HOUNTONDJI DISCUSSES FIFPRO HEALTH STUDY

FIFA Fund for Football Players: Over 1,000 applications approved

Covid-19 countermeasures for the Tokyo Olympics

Game Theory & The Beautiful Game: Ibrahimovic, EA Sports And Collective Bargaining Of Image Rights

Published Friday, 26 February 2021.

FIFPRO assists Nigerian footballer's family in claim for negligence

FIFPRO lawyers are assisting the family of the late professional footballer Chineme Martins to pursue a claim for negligence.

Bosnian union secures player salaries with special campaign

Bosnian player union SPFBiH came to the rescue when an owner left a prominent club and its players in serious problems. The union managed to safe a significant part of players’ salaries, supported new ownership for the club and helped change disciplinary regulations.

Afghanistan women’s national team sexual abuse: statement

FIFPRO welcomes the ruling to dismiss the appeal of Keramuddin Karim, the former president of the Afghanistan Football Federation who misused his position to sexually harass and abuse female players.

Coronavirus shutdown: sharp rise in players reporting depression symptoms

FIFPRO and affiliated national player associations surveyed 1,602 professional footballers in countries that had implemented drastic measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus such as mass home-confinement. 1,134 male players, with a mean age of 26, and 468 female players, with a mean age of 23, took part in the survey.

AFC and FIFPRO cooperate to mitigate effect of coronavirus on Asian football

FIFPRO statement: Professional football and Coronavirus

Moussa Marega and racism in Professional Football

FIFA set to launch global fund for player salary protection

FIFA and FIFPRO, the World Players’ Union, have reached an agreement to establish the FIFA Fund for Football Players (FIFA FFP), which aims to provide financial support to players who have not been paid and have no chance of duly receiving the wages agreed with their clubs.

ILO forum: Promote collective agreements to improve player working conditions

Governments, employers, player associations as well as sports bodies should promote all forms of social dialogue, including collective bargaining, to improve working conditions for professional athletes worldwide. That is the main conclusion of the first forum on Decent Work in Sport organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Aris must stop abusive treatment of Spanish player

FIFPRO demands that Theodoros Karipidis and Angelos Charisteas, respectively the president and the sporting director of Aris FC, immediately stop the abusive and discriminatory treatment of Alejandro Menendez.

Warning on Turkish football club debts

FIFPRO is issuing a warning to players about Turkish football because of an increasing number of cases in which clubs are defaulting on salary payments.

FIFpro Statement on WADA Code amendment

European Leagues’ members unanimously support principles for the future of European Club Competitions