FIFA accused of ‘abusive conduct’ over women’s football calendar in Europe

European Leagues body first filed complaint to the European Commission to protect men’s players in October 2024.Published On 8 Sep 20268 Sep 2026A legal complaint against FIFA has been extended to cover its “abusive conduct” towards the women’s game in Europe.The complaint by the European Leagues umbrella group, which includes the Premier League and Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) as members, was first lodged with the European Commission in October 2024.The complaint states FIFA abused a dominant position under European competition law in allegedly failing to properly consult with leagues over the men’s international match calendar announced in 2023.European Leagues formally welcomed 14 European women’s leagues to its ranks in June of this year, including the Women’s Super League (WSL) in England and the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL), and has now extended the legal complaint to cover the impact on the women’s international match calendar.A media release issued by European Leagues on Tuesday said: “European Leagues is extending the scope of its complaint to the European Commission about the international match calendar to include FIFA’s abusive conduct regardin...