France Footballer’s Union warns that the FIFA president is engaging in a “bloodbath” amid a bloated domestic and international calendar
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has come under fierce attack from France’s professional footballers’ union, which has condemned the expanded Club World Cup as a dangerous burden on players focused only on profit.
In a scathing statement, the France Footballer’s Union (UNFP) accused Infantino of ignoring players’ physical and mental wellbeing in favour of commercial gain, describing the 32-team tournament as a “bloodbath” that pushes elite players beyond their limits.
The timing of the tournament has left players with no recovery window following an already bloated domestic and international calendar. The Euro 2024 and Copa America were played last summer, and the domestic leagues and Nations League in Europe have followed.
The Nations League final was played only a week before the Club World Cup kicked off in the US. Some footballers, such as those from Paris Saint-Germain, are now playing their 62nd competitive match of the season, and the 2025-26 season is only a month and a half away.
“The incongruity of the situation is not lost on anyone, except, of course, Gianni Infantino and his courtiers,” the UNFP said. “From the height of his ivory tower, which he parades around the world, the FIFA president is not bothered by the fate that the international calendar reserves for the game’s leading players, while ‘his’ Club World Cup proves, to the point of absurdity, that it is urgent to stop this bloodbath.”
The union specifically referenced the breach of labour laws and collective bargaining agreements, which in France and many other footballing nations guarantee a minimum three-week rest period between seasons.
By squeezing another global tournament into an already saturated calendar, FIFA, the union argues, is “mocking” those protections.
The UNFP’s statement follows similar criticism from FIFPRO, the international players’ union, and FIFPRO Europe, both of which have warned “for years” that the rapid expansion of football competitions has “harmful repercussions” on player welfare.
