Gianni Infantino’s “autocracy” as Fifa president is the biggest problem facing professional footballers today, the new president of the international players’ union, Sergio Marchi, has said.
Marchi, from Argentina, took over the role of representing the world’s professional players at a time of growing concern about the crammed football calendar.
A raft of high-profile players, including Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Manchester City’s Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, have publicly voiced their concerns over the past 18 months, while Infantino’s new Club World Cup tournament has faced criticism for putting more demands on European players when they are meant to be resting in the summer months.
Marchi made the comments in an interview with The Athletic, saying: “The biggest obstacle to FIFPro today is the autocracy of Fifa president.
“Infantino lives in his own world, the only thing that matters to him are these grand spectacles. But he doesn’t listen to the players or acknowledge their needs. But I can’t sit quietly while people suffer. A lot of people told me not to speak. But I follow my convictions. I’m persistent. And I’m not afraid of power.”
The Independent reported earlier this month how Fifpro was excluded from talks about player welfare. A press release from the governing body spoke of “productive discussions” with player groups, including “critical matters related to the International Match Calendar”.
It came on the back of heavy criticism for how the Club World Cup has disrupted an already packed football schedule, leading to a FifPro legal action over how Fifa had “unilaterally imposed” the competition on the game without proper consultation with stakeholders.
Fifa has not yet commented on Marchi’s remarks, but Infantino said in the wake of scrutiny over how the Club World Cup was handled: “Every criticism that we receive is a source for us to study, to analyse, to see what we can do better.”