The complaint, which was initially filed in October 2024 to protect the welfare of men's players, has now been extended to include Fifa's treatment of women's football. European Leagues claims that Fifa's conduct threatens the growth and financial sustainability of women's professional leagues, and risks player health and wellbeing. The complaint states that Fifa holds conflicting roles as governing body and competition organiser, which gives rise to a conflict of interest. As a result, Fifa consistently uses its regulatory power to favour its own competition and commercial interests to the detriment of women's football and of European national leagues.
European Leagues welcomed 14 women's divisions to its ranks in June, including the Women's Super League and the Scottish Women's Premier League. Fifa has been under pressure since its president Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in its competitions to investment firms was scrapped. The plan sparked a global outcry, with Uefa threatening to boycott all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup. Infantino is set to stand for re-election as president in March, despite facing criticism from several confederations.
The European Commission must now act to ensure that EU law is respected and that the future of women's professional football is not determined unilaterally by Fifa. European Leagues is calling on the Commission to take action to protect the welfare of women's players and ensure that Fifa respects EU law.