Formation 1965 Region served Worldwide President Phillipe Piat | Location Hoofddorp, Netherlands Membership 58 members | |
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Official language English, French, Spanish | ||
The Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (English – International Federation of Professional Footballers), generally referred to as FIFPro, is the worldwide representative organisation for 65,000 professional footballers. FIFPro, with its global headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, is made up of 58 national players' associations. In addition, there are three candidate members and seven observers.
Contents
History
On 15 December 1965, representatives of the French, Scottish, English, Italian and Dutch players' associations met in Paris, with the objective of setting up an international federation for footballers. In the second half of June 1966, the first FIFPro congress took place in London, just before the start of the World Championship. The articles of association of FIFPro were thereby adopted and the objectives accurately laid down. FIFPro was responsible for increasing the solidarity between professional footballers and players' associations. FIFPro tried to offer the players' associations or other interest associations the means for mutual consultation and co-operation to achieve their objectives. In addition, it wished to co-ordinate the activities of the different affiliated groups in order to promote the interests of all professional footballers. Indeed, FIFPro likewise had in mind propagating and defending the rights of professional footballers. The emphasis was thereby laid on the freedom of the football player to be able to choose the club of his choice at the end of his contract. It was likewise laid down that FIFPro would be helpful in every required area for setting up interest associations. These are objectives which still apply to this day.
It was originally laid down that a congress would be held once every four years at a minimum – prior to the World Championship. The congress had to uphold the course set out and with a two-third majority vote. The congress is still the most important organ of FIFPro to this very day. It soon appeared that it was necessary to organize a congress annually, and not to limit this to once every four years. Many congresses have been held in the meantime, such as for example in 1978 in Madrid and in 1979 in Athens and Venice. In the eighties and nineties many memorable congresses have been organized in almost all the large European cities, such as Paris, Athens, Milan, Manchester, Zürich, Ghent, Lisbon, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, Rome, Johannesburg, Barcelona, Santiago and Budapest. The latest congress was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in November 2010.
The objectives of FIFPro also mean that not only FIFA applied as a talking partner. UEFA in particular, but also the European parliament and the European Commission appeared to be important points of approach. The national federations also started to become increasingly aware that, in addition to the national players' association, the international trade union FIFPro also played its role.
In recent years, FIFPro has grown from a European organization into a global network. The FIFPro has done much to support countries on other continents – Asia/Oceania, Africa and South America – in their efforts to set up players' associations. In October 2012, FIFPro welcomed the footballers' associations of Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro and Ukraine as its newest members.
In 2013, FIFPro launched a legal challenge against the transfer system. FIFPro president Phillipe Piat said "the transfer system fails 99% of players around the world, it fails football as an industry and it fails the world's most beloved game". According to FIFPro's European president Bobby Barnes, 28% of the money from a transfer fee is paid to agents, and that many players are not paid on time or at all. He claims this leads to these players being "vulnerable targets of crime syndicates, who instigate match-fixing and threaten the very existence of credible football competitions". Writing for the BBC, Matt Slater said "professional footballers do not enjoy the same freedoms that almost every other EU worker does", and that "players look at US sport, and wonder why their career prospects are still constrained by transfer fees and compensation costs". Barnes argues that "the system encourages speculative, unsustainable, immoral and illegal investment models like third-party ownership of players".
Current board
The FIFPro board consists of eleven members, including president Philippe Piat, for the term 2013–2017. He has been president since the FIFPro congress in Ljubljana in October 2013. The board members are:
In 1998, for the first time in FIFPro history, a board member was elected by the General Assembly.
Members
Founded on December 15, 1965, FIFPro has 58 full members, 2 candidate members and 5 observer members. Upon graduation to the next level, new members sign an affiliation agreement that promotes loyalty, integrity and fairness as well as principles of good governance, including open and transparent communications, democratic processes, checks and balances, solidarity and corporate social responsibility.
Observer members
(Not official FIFPro members)
Awards
Each year since 2005, FIFPro invited all professional men's footballers in the world to compose the best men's team of the year, named the FIFPro World XI. Every player was requested to pick one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards. In 2009, the world players' union joined hands with FIFA. While the format remained the same, the award name changed to the FIFA FIFPro World XI. This became the only team award picked by all professional footballers worldwide.
Each year in September, approximately 45,000 voting ballots are sent out to professional footballers' associations that are FIFPro members or candidate members, who are then asked to distribute the forms among all professional footballers in their countries. In October these are returned to FIFPro's head office. At the end of November, FIFPro and FIFA together announce the 55-player shortlist, consisting of 5 goalkeepers, 20 defenders, 15 midfielders and 15 forwards. In January the votes are counted, and the 11-man FIFA FIFPro World XI is revealed at the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zürich, Switzerland.
From 2005 until 2008, FIFPro also asked the footballers to choose the FIFPro Player of the Year. From 2009 on, the election for FIFPro Player of the Year merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and in 2010 combined with France Football's Ballon d'Or into one award, the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
In 2014, FIFPro launched a women’s football committee. In February 2016, FIFPro Women's World XI was launched. Players of 33 different nationalities in over 20 countries participated in voting for one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.
Winners
Players marked bold won the FIFA World Player of the Year (2005–2009) or the FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015) or the The Best FIFA Men's Player (2016–present) in that respective year.
Appearances by club
Players in italics have made appearances with multiple clubs, and appearances are separated accordingly.
Winners
Players marked bold won the FIFA World Player of the Year (2001–2015) or the The Best FIFA Women's Player (2016–present) in that respective year.
FIFPro World Player of the Year, 2005–2008
FIFPro granted this award between 2005–2008, in 2009 it merged with FIFA World Player of the Year which was succeeded by the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010.
FIFPro Young Player of the Year, 2005–2008
FIFPro granted this award between 2005–2008, after which it was discontinued.