FIFA did not invite the global football players' union, FIFPRO, to a summit meeting in New York between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and players' groups, where player welfare and scheduled time of rest were discussed and "consensus" reached despite the union's huge representation of players worldwide.

This is according to sources, as reported by ESPN.

This comes after an announcement by FIFA in an official statement published on its channels and shared with media houses in the early hours of Sunday, July 13, 2025 (Saturday evening in the U.S.) regarding an agreement that has been reached about player rest and welfare.

However, this high-profile meeting had been held on the blindside of FIFPRO, a union that represents 66,000 players worldwide, and the UK-based Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).

FIFPRO had been excluded from the decision it had advocated so much for.

It was quite vocal, especially following the staging of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup in the U.S. this summer.

The players' union, FIFPro, on June 12, recommended a one-month mandatory off-season break for professional footballers.

Just a few hours before the finale of the Club World Cup, FIFPRO released a strongly worded statement on Sunday describing the tournament as one "...held under unacceptable conditions, with matches scheduled during extreme heat that put players’ physical integrity at serious risk"

“It was a grandiose performance that inevitably brings to mind Nero’s Rome and its ‘bread and circuses’—entertainment for the masses while behind the curtain, inequality, precariousness, and the neglect of the true protagonists deepen”, the words of the statement cut deep.

For a tournament as such to be fixed under the purported circumstances, FIFPRO believes "This situation must not only be condemned but firmly addressed.”

And in a statement released to ESPN on Sunday, Marchi, who chose to fly back to Argentina rather than attend the Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain in protest at FIFA's claims of an agreement, said that FIFA are risking a "dangerous disconnect" with players.

"While the recent Club World Cup generated enthusiasm among numerous fans and allowed some of the world's leading figures to be seen in a single tournament, FIFPRO cannot fail to point out, with absolute clarity, that this competition hides a dangerous disconnect with the true reality experienced by most footballers around the world," Marchi said.

"What was presented as a global celebration of football was nothing more than a fiction created by FIFA, promoted by its president, without dialogue, sensitivity, and respect for those who sustain the game with their daily efforts."

Meanwhile, it is reported that player representatives who showed up for the meeting with Infantino included national union officials whose organisations have been expelled from FIFPRO or who have lost their position at FIFPRO following a democratic process.

Also, ESPN has reported that senior player representatives regard FIFA's statement as "deeply flawed", highlighting that none of the decisions taken at the meeting were legally binding.