It’s no secret that clubs are not fond of international matches, and now the European Clubs Association (ECA) is really turning up the heat on FIFA. The ECA, which is made up of 201 clubs, have been working to get the international calendar changed, but they say that their talks with FIFA have not gone well, and as a result, they will not be attending a summit next month. Call it a boycott.
FIFA And Europe’s Top Clubs Continue To Feud Over International Schedule
“We have had discussions with UEFA and we are close to finding a final agreement,” an ECA spokesman said. “But talks with FIFA have been disappointing and we have decided not to attend FIFA meetings until further notice.”
The ECA is hoping to cut the number of international matches in half and have really focused on eliminating the June and August friendlies. Bayern Munich chief executive and ECA president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge really focused in on the friendlies, calling them “nonsense.”
FIFA may be the international governing body for football, but they don’t have unlimited power. FIFA needs the go-ahead from the clubs, who own the contracts of the players. They’re going to need to appease the clubs at some point, for better or worse, and the clubs know it.
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