FIFPRO position on player group announced in Madrid

FIFPRO has closely followed the development of the player group concept announced today by the president of AFE, Spanish player union.

FIFPRO recognises the strong work over several decades of AFE for men’s football players in Spain. However, the concept announced in Madrid by its current president appears nothing more than a speculative attempt to boost his own standing through a group which lacks the fundamental legitimacy to represent professional footballers globally. The evidence shows his concept is driven by personal motives rather than a mandate from players around the world.

Player representation must be responsible and sustainable, built from the players up, through collective structures that ensure independence, legitimacy and accountability. FIFPRO's role is based on a mandate from 70 national player associations representing more than 60,000 footballers and is formally recognised by the European Union and International Labour Organization, as well as all international football governing bodies and stakeholders.

FIFPRO requires member unions to be independent, meet a series of governance standards, and have a mandate from most players domestically. In the last two years, FIFPRO has modernised its governance to become more transparent and accountable; this was part of a democratic process which led to the AFE president losing his position as FIFPRO president. He subsequently ended AFE’s affiliation with FIFPRO, weakening global support and benefits for players in Spain.

Since then, the AFE President has engaged with groups that fail to meet basic standards of player representation including those lacking a democratic mandate from players; those closely linked to football governing bodies; and those that have been expelled from FIFPRO because of mismanagement. Such an approach to player representation is not in the best interests of professional footballers.