Players’ association to receive UEFA Executive Committee voting privileges following a two-year postponement.
The players’ union in Europe is set to gain voting rights on UEFA’s influential executive committee on February 12 during the governing body’s annual congress.
This decision to grant FIFPRO Europe voting rights comes over two years after UEFA committed to this change.
FIFPRO Europe, which comprises national unions including the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), will be represented on the ExCo by its president, David Terrier.
This enhanced collaboration with the governing body of European football, which was officially approved at UEFA’s annual Congress in Brussels on Thursday, contrasts with its tense relationship with FIFA.
FIFPRO Europe is currently pursuing legal action against FIFA in Belgian courts and has also lodged a complaint with the European Commission in conjunction with the European Leagues group.
Central to FIFPRO’s grievances is what it perceives as FIFA’s failure to engage in consultations regarding the international calendar.
Terrier stated: “For the first time, players are officially represented at the highest level of decision-making in European football. This also acknowledges that players are a fundamental stakeholder in the sport, and decisions impacting their work, health, and careers must involve their legitimate representatives not only being present but actively participating.”
“This advancement ensures that players are no longer excluded from discussions. Their perspective is now part of a formal process: it is documented, discussed, and incorporated into governance. That is where genuine change starts.”
When asked to compare this new agreement with the situation at the global level, Terrier remarked: “In other contexts, we continue to witness unilateral decision-making and efforts to marginalize legitimate player representation, such as engaging with entities that do not authentically represent players.”
“This approach is increasingly being challenged, both politically and legally. In Europe, football stakeholders are proving that collaborative governance is possible and yields concrete outcomes.”
FIFA has consistently criticized FIFPRO in recent months. In July of the previous year, it accused FIFPRO’s leadership of adopting an “increasingly divisive and contradictory tone” and stated that the organization had “chosen to pursue a path of public confrontation driven by artificial PR battles—which do not concern the welfare of professional players but rather aim to safeguard their own personal positions and interests.”
Information from PA was utilized in this report.
