FIFPro, that's me
Luis Flores: 'They said it was impossible to get invalidity pension’
After a long wait, the severe heart attack suffered by the Luis Flores Abarca (Ñublense) during a game against Palestino - inl 2009 - has been acknowledged as an accident at work, so he will be getting an invalidity pension.
Didier Drogba: 'Football rises in the East as well…'
FIFPro visited Didier Drogba, the captain of the national team of Ivory Coast and honorary president of FIFPro Division Africa. Drogba talks with FIFPro about football in Ivory Coast and his new adventure in China.
Iain Russell: ‘Remove stigma from mental illness’
Iain Russell is one of two professional footballers who have just started writing a monthly blog for PFA Scotland. In his first blog he talks about one of professional football’s taboos: players suffering from depression.
Miguel Loayza: ‘They respect us more now’
Miguel Loayza, who plays as number 10 for Blooming, spoke on several subjects, emphasizing the prominent role played by the Bolivian footballers’ union (Fabol) in defending its members who are owed money by clubs.
Claus Lundekvam: ‘Alcohol and cocaine nearly killed me’
Claus Lundekvam’s life changed after he retired as a professional footballer. The former player of the Norwegian national team tried to escape from his depression using alcohol and drugs. ‘It almost killed me.’
Abel Xavier: ‘Players must help social integration’
Abel Xavier played for the Portuguese national team and for 12 clubs in 8 countries. In an interview with the Portuguese professional footballers association SJPF he talks about racism and the importance of the union.
Dare Vrsic: ‘I almost quit playing football’
Dare Vrsic calls it the biggest disaster of his life. The Slovenian footballer thought he had taken a great step joining Politehnica Timisoara, but his time in Romania turned out otherwise. 'They told me that I would not get paid.'
Striker Ciobanu admits match-fixing in Romania
Stefan Ciobanu is a Romanian professional footballer. On Thursday he disclosed that he has played in manipulated Romanian league matches, in an interview with national newspaper ProSport. ‘You do what you’re told to do.’
Geremi: 'I always knew I would serve footballers'
In an exclusive interview, Geremi Ndjitap, the former Cameroonian international who has also worn the colours of Real Madrid and Chelsea, is asking Cameroonian footballers to join the national players' union Synafoc.
The sad tale of Mario Cizmek: victim of match fixing
A year ago Mario Cizmek confessed that he had participated in match fixing. Now, the former Croatian youth international has been sentenced to 10 months in prison. He was one of 24 players sanctioned for manipulating games.
FIFPro, that's me
FIFPro, that's me is a column in which FIFPro puts 50,000 professional footballers under the world's close scrutiny. What are the positive aspects of the profession? How do they survive in a footballing world that's occasionally difficult? What tips would they give to a professional colleague? What does the professional future look like after a footballing career? The footballer speaks: his story is also the story of FIFPro.
Previous players
‘Only a few scientific studies have been done about the long-term social-medical problems that arise as a consequence of a career in top sport’, says Vincent Gouttebarge, former professional footballer turned scientist.
After a long wait, the severe heart attack suffered by the Luis Flores Abarca (Ñublense) during a game against Palestino - inl 2009 - has been acknowledged as an accident at work, so he will be getting an invalidity pension.
FIFPro visited Didier Drogba, the captain of the national team of Ivory Coast and honorary president of FIFPro Division Africa. Drogba talks with FIFPro about football in Ivory Coast and his new adventure in China.