Arsene Wenger Set To Lead FIFA Task Force on Player Welfare

Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, will lead a FIFA task force focused on player welfare, world football’s governing body said on Monday, amid concerns that packed schedules are taking a heavy physical and mental toll on players.

Players’ union FIFPRO, Spain’s La Liga, and the European leagues’ group filed a joint complaint to European Union antitrust regulators earlier this month, accusing FIFA of “calendar abuse.”

A recent report from FIFPRO indicated that certain players have as little as 12% of the year for rest. The introduction of FIFA’s new 32-team Club World Cup, along with updated international competitions, is expected to further raise the number of matches each season.

“The objective of the task force is to examine how suitable and effective safeguards for players can be implemented, also taking into account practical considerations from operational, medical, regulatory, and legal perspectives,” FIFA said in a statement.

Wenger, who has taken on the role of FIFA’s chief of global football development, said in a press release last December that there had been a dramatic improvement in player welfare, and it was “unrecognizable” from what it used to be.

FIFA announced that its task force will propose recommendations for players’ physical and mental well-being, drawing on the latest scientific research.

It added that the task force will meet in the coming weeks.