Players’ union FIFpro and top European leagues have made an official complaint to the European Commission over the “abusive” international match calendar.

Stars around the world have been unhappy with the supposed increase in fixtures in recent years, with the likes of Rodri, Son Heung-min and Alisson all recently vocal about the risks involved with more matches before getting injured.

FIFpro and European Leagues, which represents over 30 clubs in Europe, decided to take legal action in July and this move focuses in particular on the expansions of the FIFA Club World Cup and the same organisation’s World Cup, which will increase to 32 teams from 2025 and 46 in 2026 respectively.

The complaint claims the football calendar infringes European Union competition law, “risks player safety and well-being” and says FIFA’s actions are “abusive” and “unjustified”.

“FIFA refuses to listen and engage with the players, the main labour resource of our industry, who are there on the pitch, creating a powerhouse of European and global entertainment culture, and pushing their bodies to the limit,” said FIFPro Europe president David Terrier.

“But we have listened to our players, have received the same messages for a long period of time, that they are playing too much and do not have enough time to recover. Ahead of the worst season ever for workload, many have also decided to talk in public with the same message: enough is enough.”

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters added: “It is getting to a tipping point. The feedback we have from players is that there is too much football being played and there is constant expansion.

“The Premier League hasn’t changed shape. What has changed over the last few decades is the march of international and regional football competitions.”

Manchester City midfielder Rodri had suggested footballers around the world were close to striking over the demands placed on players and cruelly saw his season end due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly after.

That call for action was supported by La Liga stars Jules Kounde and Dani Carvajal, with the latter also going down with an ACL blow to see his campaign come to a premature end.

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