FIFA’s chief legal and compliance officer, Emilio García, has accused FIFPro of playing sports politics and claimed the world players’ union is “not interested in solving problems.”

Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday with The Athletic and a number of Spanish-language outlets from South America and Spain, García criticized FIFPro president Sergio Marchi for making personal attacks against FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

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In an interview with The Athletic, Marchi accused Infantino of running the sport as an autocracy. Garcia responded on Wednesday that FIFA is disappointed with FIFPro’s stance.

“The issue here is that Sergio and FIFPro are not interested in solving problems — they’re interested in making headlines and doing sports politics,” García said. “And we don’t want to play sports politics with FIFPro.”

“The truth is,” García continued, “in recent weeks, it seems more like there’s a desire to appear in the media than a genuine concern for the real problems and situations of the players.”

Before the Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13, Infantino hosted a meeting in New York in which, according to FIFA, a consensus was reached regarding a defined rest period for players. FIFPro was not invited to the meeting.

Other player unions in attendance, along with FIFA, settled on a 72-hour rest period between matches and an additional rest period of at least 21 days at the end of each season. Both topics have been of great interest for FIFPro for years, with 28 days of rest having been the preferred allotment for FIFPro.

Infantino with Marchi in May (Eva Marie Uzcategui – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

García acknowledged that both rest periods have been “a constant demand from the players’ unions — and in their case, from FIFPro.” But according to García, negotiating with FIFPro, and particularly with Marchi, has become more difficult.

These two areas are fundamental and have been a constant demand from the players’ unions — and in their case, from FIFPro. But what’s surprising in recent months is that when FIFA says “we’re going to implement this,” it seems like FIFPro responds, “well, we’re not interested in that.”

Upon its creation, the Club World Cup, which featured 32 teams from six FIFA confederations, was the target of disparagement for adding another major tournament to an already congested football calendar.

It was played in 11 U.S. cities and 12 different stadiums. Attendance ebbed and flowed throughout the competition, while weather delays and extreme heat were among the tournament’s principal issues. Several players and coaches lambasted the heat and playing surfaces. Chelsea won the tournament, winning 4-0 in the final against PSG at MetLife Stadium.

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“All you need to do is ask the players who didn’t make it to the Club World Cup — did they want to be there? And second, those who did — did they want to play or not?” said García.

“I think there’s a very, very big disconnect between the global footballers’ union and the players they claim to represent,” he continued.

“(Marchi) recently said that Infantino is God — or believes he’s God. I think that’s a very personal way of putting it. The truth is, he certainly isn’t, because he wasn’t able to stop the storms and bad weather that occurred during the (Club) World Cup. He’s a human being, with flaws, with mistakes, and with successes.”

García said FIFA and Infantino were working to establish plans that address the heat, among other issues, ahead of the 2026 men’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Former Argentina national team midfielder Maxi Rodríguez was also on the call on behalf of FIFA. Rodríguez, 44, retired from professional football in 2021 after a club career that included time with Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Newell’s Old Boys, among other clubs. He also represented Argentina at three World Cup finals.

“Regarding the issue of the heat, I had to play in very high temperatures all over the world,” Rodríguez said. “I’ve played in all kinds of places with intense heat. And I’ve also had to play in extreme cold. You go from one extreme to the other. I think the player and the body adapt over time. We’re athletes and we prepare throughout the year, and during the preseason in particular, in order to handle a full year of competition.”

“When it comes to the temperature, I don’t think there’s anything specific that can be done,” he added. “I believe the player prepares to give their best in every competition.”

Former Argentina player Maxi Rodriguez spoke on behalf of FIFA (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

García spoke about the relationship between FIFA and FIFPro after scoffing at Marchi’s claims that FIFA is not a democratic organization.

“To say that FIFA is not a democratic institution when our statutes, our accounts, our distribution model — who approves them? The president’s salary? What is the salary of the president and the secretary general? This is all published,” García said.

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“I believe there is no difference between the two parties,” he said. “We are defending exactly the same things. In fact, I would even say — and this is objective — if you look at the latest advancements in the protection of footballers, both men and women, all of these have essentially come from FIFA, not from FIFPro.

In response to these comments, a FIFPro spokesperson said: “The advances/new rules can only come from FIFA because they are the regulator. FIFPro cannot introduce rules.

“We believe there should be proportional negotiating rights for player unions on the match calendar and other issues affecting employment rights.”

Last week, FIFA accused FIFPro of blackmail and denounced the union’s lack of financial transparency. This was in response to Marchi’s claims that FIFA’s autocratic measures were “the biggest obstacle” to his union. FIFA’s statement argued that FIFPro had “chosen to pursue a path of public confrontation driven by artificial PR battles.”

García, in turn, said that the union’s biggest problems were “political.” He also said FIFA is “not a government” and does not “establish the social security systems for footballers.”

“We have been historically accused of monopolies and of violating competition laws,” said García. “FIFA will not violate trade union freedom. There is one union that is welcome — of course, always — and its president is always welcome. That said, they are not the only ones, because football is very big, and because there are many unions — first, that are not members of FIFPro, and second, that are dissatisfied with FIFPro.”

When asked about FIFA’s blackmail claims on Wednesday, García said: “I think it’s more a matter of not having a positive constructive spirit. In other words, that constructive spirit doesn’t exist. I’ll reiterate that we have put many proposals on the table and they’re not even discussed.

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“I believe that being the president of FIFPro doesn’t mean opposing things on a daily basis,” said García. “It’s as if there’s a daily attempt to try to appear more belligerent than the European groups. It’s about negotiating, talking, and reaching agreements. That’s what we’ve been missing in recent months.”

García also referred to Marchi as “intelligent” and said that he has worked with the former Argentine professional footballer on several projects. He said that FIFA would “never question the legitimacy of the president of FIFPro.”

“To us, Sergio Marchi is not an emperor,” he said. “To us, Sergio Marchi is not someone who thinks he’s God. We don’t engage in that kind of discourse. To us, he is the president of FIFPro. The problem is that it seems he’s becoming more of a problem than a solution.

“FIFPro wants exclusivity and money. FIFA is not willing to accept that,” he continued.

“It is willing to speak and negotiate with the representatives of the workers, but with all of them. Not only with those who say, ‘It’s us or no one.’”

The Athletic approached the representatives of Sergio Marchi for comment.

(Top photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)