FIFPro establishes task force to fight abuse of players in Eastern Europe
A series of incidents in countries like Greece, Romania, Russia and Serbia involving maltreatment of football players, such as non-payment, violent attacks and racism, have led FIFPro to take action in the area.
‘FIFPro assumes its responsibility, and calls on everyone else involved to do the same’, FIFPro states on their website.
‘It is unacceptable that much of the football world is averting its eyes from this abuse in Eastern Europe’, says Philippe Piat, president of FIFPro Division Europe according to FIFPro. ‘FIFPro refuses to look away. We assume our responsibility to help players. It is high time that we put an end to this abuse.’
FIFPro also calls on all major participants in European football including FIFA, UEFA , EPFL and ECA to assume responsibility for the recent events too and to engage in the efforts to stop the occurring of players’ abuse.
“FIFPro calls on the other major participants in professional football to choose sides in this struggle. There is no doubt that FIFA and UEFA will agree with FIFPro that all their affiliated member associations should guarantee that all professional footballers in their leagues can do their job safely and also get paid for it, this being a legal right of every worker in Europe,’ FIFPro President Piat says according to FIFPro.
‘FIFA and UEFA have an important responsibility here, especially Eastern European members that sit on the executive committees of both FIFA and UEFA.’
Both European and Eastern European players’ unions will have a place in the task force and FIFPro expect an action plan to be formed within this year.
The task force will work on five main objectives; establishing unions in countries without players' unions, research into players' salaries, fighting match-fixing, fighting racism and banning violence against players.
SOURCE: FIFPRO.ORG