Europe's top leagues join forces against 'abusive' Fifa

The La Liga president, Javier Tebas, hailed "one of the most important days in football" after Europe's domestic leagues joined forces with the global players' union to file a formal complaint against Fifa's imposition of the sport's match calendar.

- Nick Ames

European Leagues, Fifpro and La Liga accused Fifa of "abusive and anti-competitive" conduct by expanding the schedule in a manner they believe endangers players and domestic competitions, pointing to the enlarged 2026 World Cup and the controversial new-look Club World Cup that will take place next summer.

The complaint was submitted yesterday to the European Commission, which must now decide whether to officially open proceedings against football's governing body.

"We've taken a very important step in changing the governance of football institutions and we're not going to let it get away," said Tebas, who spoke alongside representatives from the Premier League and Belgium's top flight, as well as union leaders from France, Italy and Norway. "It is a decisive day for football in Europe and the world. Write it down, because you're going to see it in the coming months."