The contemporary debate on players’ rights in international football can no longer be reduced to the traditional question of whether players should be represented collectively, since the more pressing question is now how such representation should be organised, legitimised and made effective in practice. The recent deterioration of the relationship between FIFA and FIFPRO has revealed a structural tension between global trade-union representation on the one hand and direct, decentralised player consultation on the other. This tension has become particularly visible in the context of the expanded international match calendar, the FIFA Club World Cup and the 48-team FIFA World Cup, which have intensified concerns about workload, recovery, health and the long-term sustainability of elite-level careers. FIFPRO Europe and European Leagues filed a complaint before the European Commission in October 2024, arguing that FIFA’s position as both regulator and competition...

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