FIFPro’s secretary-general Alex Phillips says elite footballers are afraid to protest against their packed match schedules, fearing backlash or career consequences. At a global union summit in Amsterdam, FIFPro criticized FIFA for overworking players, citing the expanded Club World Cup as an example. Some players privately complain of exhaustion but are pressured to publicly support tournaments. FIFPro slammed FIFA for ignoring player welfare, while FIFA accused the union of divisiveness and denied excluding them from key discussions. A formal complaint over the match calendar has also been filed with the EU Commission.
