FIFPRO is launching a Global Player Council to strengthen the role of professional footballers in shaping their industry at an international level.

The football community in Northern Ireland was rocked by the devastating news of Cliftonville defender Michael Newberry’s sudden passing on his 27th birthday on 30 December 2024.

Thanks to the key support of the National Association of Women's Football Players (ANJUFF), Chile's international players closed 2024 with news that was as long awaited as it was extraordinary: the signing of an equity agreement with the Chilean federation that ensures minimum conditions in preparation and labour rights for the Copa America Femenina Brazil 2025.

The latest Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) contains fresh guidance on assessing and managing a potentially concussed athlete.

Since 2015, FIFPRO has been an official supporter of the Homeless World Cup, a global organisation that uses football to support people trying to find their way back in society after coping with homelessness, drug or alcohol abuse, or being a refugee. 

FIFPRO welcomes the decision by the European Parliament to crack down on illegal broadcasting of live sporting events.

To mark International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the footballers who #ChooseToChallenge.

FIFPRO is saddened to share the news that Rob Buijs, our financial director and friend for more than 17 years, has passed away. He succumbed to cancer on Sunday, aged 69.

The history of Austrian player union VdF dates back to 1988. Back then, Rapid Wien were Austria’s strongest team and about to clinch their 29th league title. Despite the success, the club were experiencing financial problems and could not afford to pay players’ bonuses. The club’s leadership decided to cut the bonuses despite existing player contracts that were in place. The country’s biggest newspaper reacted with the headline: "If only the players had a union".

The Finnish defender of HJK Helsinki earned his award for using his voice to help other players and people to improve their working conditions, such as the Finnish women’s national team and migrant workers in Qatar.

FIFPRO is welcoming the Union of Professional Footballers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SPFBiH) as one of four new members on 1 January 2021.