March 6 – The umbrella body covering Europe’s major leagues says it won’t back down in its legal dispute with FIFA and that it is increasingly confident of its case.
Last October, European Leagues joined forces with FIFPRO, the players’ international union, in filing a complaint to the European Commission over FIFA’s “abuse of dominant position”, specifically the international match calendar.
The complaint maintains that FIFA has a conflict of interest over its role as a competition organiser and governing body, and that it is breaking European competition law.
Also at the heart of the complaint is that FIFA has forced its international calendar on players and leagues without any meaningful agreement or discussion with them – an assertion that FIFA has denied.
Following the European Leagues’ annual assembly in Germany, in which Claudius Schäfer, of Switzerland, was elected as the organisation’s new president and LaLiga welcomed back into the fold, deputy general secretary Alberto Colombo told a news conference the complaint was still very much on the table.
“The more we work on a daily basis on our complaint, the more comfortable and confident we are that it is very solid legally,” he said.
“FIFA has an obligation to comply with European law. We are fully committed together with FIFPRO. It’s up to FIFA to show they are willing to change the way they are making decisions.”
After being elected president in what was the organisation’s 50th general assembly in its 20th year, Schäfer commented: “We have several challenges ahead of us, but I’m sure that with unity and intense cooperation, we will keep safeguarding and further developing domestically football in this fast-changing environment, while contributing to improve the governance of the game in the interests of all stakeholders in football.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1741282132labto1741282132ofdlr1741282132owedi1741282132sni@w1741282132ahsra1741282132w.wer1741282132dna1741282132.