Gianni Infantino accused of 'trampling' on players' physical and mental health 'for a few more dollars' as footballers' union lambasts FIFA over Club World Cup

FIFA president Infantino has come under fire from France’s footballers' union (UNFP) over the new 32-team Club World Cup in the United States. In a sharply worded statement, the UNFP accused him of “trampling” on player welfare for money, calling the tournament “a massacre” and demanding it be halted. Their criticism comes as PSG played their 62nd match of the season, and several players headed directly into this month-long tournament after Euro 2024, a long regular season and then Nations League duty.

The expanded Club World Cup has been controversial since its inception. Players are now being forced to compete at the tail-end of a brutal season, with no room for adequate rest. The UNFP stressed the violation of players’ right to a three-week off-season break, protected by labour agreements in many countries. The timing of the tournament, sandwiched between international fixtures and the new domestic campaign, has further heightened concerns about mental burnout, injuries, and long-term physical harm.

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The French union pulled no punches in targeting Infantino: "The incongruity of the situation is not lost on anyone, except, of course, Gianni Infantino and his courtiers. 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. He tramples on the physical and mental health of players for a few more dollars, while mocking, worse, ignoring, the collective bargaining agreements – La Charte, in France – which, almost everywhere, provide for an incompressible period of three weeks of rest for footballers between two sports seasons.

"The UNFP, like FIFPRO and FIFPRO Europe, has been protesting for years against the drastic increase in workloads, but also against the harmful repercussions for domestic football of a calendar that FIFA is still alone in building today... He doesn't care that Paris Saint-Germain will be playing their 62nd match of the season this Sunday while four Ligue 1 McDonald's clubs have already resumed training to prepare for the 2025-2026 season and three others will follow suit this Monday."

Legal pushback and public backlash are mounting. With FIFPRO already opposing the tournament, and UEFA clubs reportedly considering legal action, Infantino may soon face more than just media criticism. As clubs prepare for the 2025–26 season, the debate over overloaded schedules and respect for player rights is reaching a boiling point.