Fifa accused of ‘abusive conduct’ towards women’s football in legal complaint | OneFootball

An official legal complaint against Fifa has been broadened to challenge its "abusive conduct" towards women’s football in Europe.

The case was first lodged with the European Commission in October 2024 by European Leagues, an umbrella group whose members include the Premier League and Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).

The action states Fifa abused a dominant position under EU competition law by failing to consult properly over the 2023 men’s international match calendar.

Having added 14 women’s leagues in June - including England’s Women’s Super League (WSL) and the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) - European Leagues has extended the complaint to cover the impact on the women’s international calendar.

A media release issued by European Leagues on Tuesday said: "European Leagues is extending the scope of its complaint to the European Commission about the international match calendar to include Fifa’s abusive conduct regarding the women’s international match calendar and related women’s football regulatory decisions.

"Fifa’s conduct threatens the growth and financial sustainability of women’s professional leagues, and risks player health and well-being.

Infantino has also been accused of breaching political neutrality rules in dealings with Donald Trump (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

"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.

"The submission details the same pattern of conduct identified in the original complaint: Fifa holds conflicting roles as governing body and competition organiser, which gives rise to a conflict of interest.

"As in men’s football, 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."

Fifa was approached for comment, but previously maintained its 2023 calendar followed extensive stakeholder consultation and that it retains full rights to set parameters for its own events, like the Club World Cup, within agreed schedules.

The legal escalation comes with its president, Gianni Infantino, under fire from three continental confederations over a controversial, now-abandoned plan for private investment in a company running World Cup events. The proposal foresaw Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) being established, with 20 per cent owned by private investors.

Tuesday’s statement noted the FFE controversy "further exposed this structural conflict (between FIFA’s position as a regulator and commercial operator) and vividly illustrates how profit-driven motives taint FIFA’s regulatory decisions and decision-making processes".

The European Commission has been contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, rights group FairSquare has submitted a new complaint about Infantino to the investigatory chamber of Fifa’s ethics committee.

Backed by over 100,000 supporters of its ‘Reboot Fifa’ campaign, it alleges Infantino breached political neutrality rules in dealings with US president Donald Trump - citing the Folarin Balogun case at this summer’s World Cup - and criticises his handling of the FFE scheme.