The leaders of the World Leagues Forum (WLF) and FIFPRO met on Tuesday 1 February 2022 in Madrid and via video conference to discuss collective principles for football’s governance. In their latest Leadership Summit, the two partners worked towards new governance standards that will put social partners, openness, accountability and sustainability at the heart of the sport.
Following the first meeting that took place in October 2021, representatives of professional leagues and players’ unions from around the world discussed how to set higher standards of governance in modern football. The groups led by the WLF and FIFPRO recognized the need to act as partners and cooperate to shape the future of football.
The WLF and FIFPRO are responding to the crisis in football’s governance by working together in a series of Leadership Summits. The two organisations agreed on the benefits of labour and industrial dialogue to find the right balance between the interests of clubs and players. This will help to strengthen the game at all levels and safeguard the health and wellbeing of footballers.
Both partners also recognise that domestic leagues and their member clubs are the lifeblood of professional football. They are where the economy of football lies and where players learn their skills and build their careers. By putting the welfare of domestic leagues and their clubs as well as the well-being of players at the heart of these discussions, the WLF and FIFPRO aim to put football’s governance on a democratic and sustainable footing.
The two organisations have agreed to continue this dialogue and meet again in the coming months.
The Summit of 1 February 2022 brought together leagues and player unions from:
WLF:
• Liga MX, Mexico
• Major League Soccer, USA
• Premier League, England
• La Liga, Spain
• LigaPro, Ecuador
• Ligue de Football Professionnel, France
• Premier League, South Africa
• Premier League, Russia
• Serie A, Italy
• J.League, Japan
FIFPRO:
• AFE, Spain
• JPFA, Japan
• SAFAP, Peru
• SJPF, Portugal
• AMFPRO, Mexico
• The PFA, England
• AIC, Italy
• SYNAFOC, Cameroon
• UNFP, France
• MLSPA, USA
• SAFPU, South Africa
The next Leadership Summit will take place in March 2022.
Media contact:
Jerome Perlemuter, General Secretary, World Leagues Forum
contact@worldleaguesforum.com
Website: www.WorldLeaguesForum.com
Note to editor:
The WLF is the world association of professional football leagues. Its member leagues are listed below. Its purpose is to improve governance structures in world football, address the issues of professional football and foster cooperation between its members.
Asia:
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL LAGUES (Australia), INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE (India), J.LEAGUE (Japan), MALAYSIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Malaysia), QATAR STARS LEAGUE (Qatar), SAUDI PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE (Saudi Arabia), UAE PRO LEAGUE (United Arab Emirates).
Africa:
LIGUE DE FOOTBALL PROFESSIONNEL (Algeria), PRO LEAGUE (Madagascar), LIGUE NATIONALE DE FOOTBALL PROFESSIONNEL (Morocco), NIGERIA PROFESSIONAL
FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Nigeria), PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE (South Africa), ZIMBABWE PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE (Zimbabwe).
North and Central America:
CANADIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (CANADA), UNAFUT COSTA RICA (Costa Rica), LIGA DOMINICANA DE FUTBOL (Dominican Republic), LIGA NACIONAL DE FÚTBOL PROFESIONAL HONDURAS (Honduras), LIGA MX (Mexico), LIGA PANAMENA DE FUTBOL (Panama), MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER (USA).
South American:
DIMAYOR (Colombia), LIGAPRO (Ecuador).
Europe:
PRO LEAGUE (Belgium), DIVISIONSFORENINGEN (Denmark), PREMIER LEAGUE (England), LIGUE DE FOOTBALL PROFESSIONNEL (France), DFL DEUTSCHE FUßBALL LIGA (Germany), SUPER LEAGUE GREECE (Greece), ISRAELI PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUES (Israel), SERIE A (Italy), FUTBOLA VIRSLIGA (Latvia), EREDIVISIE (Netherlands), EKSTRAKLASA (Poland), LIGA PORTUGAL (Portugal), LIGA PROFESIONISTA DE FOTBAL (Romania), RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (Russia), SCOTTISH PROFESSIONNAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Scotland), SUPER LIGA SRBIJE (Serbia), LA LIGA (Spain), FORENINGEN SVENSK ELITFOTBOLL (Sweden), SWISS FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Switzerland), UKRAINIAN PREMIER LEAGUE (Ukraine), TURKISH CLUBS UNION (Turkey).
