FIFPro
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 63 national players' associations. In addition, there are five candidate members and eight observers.[1] Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have the most appearances in the FIFPro World11 with 14 each, whereas Sergio Ramos has had 11 appearances occupying the second place.
 | |
| Abbreviation | FIFPro |
|---|---|
| Formation | 15 December 1965 |
| Type | Professional football player organisation |
| Location |
|
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | 63 full members[1] |
Official language | English, French, Spanish |
President | Phillipe Piat |
| Affiliations | FIFA (since 2009) |
| Website | www |
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-thirds 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.[2][3][4][5] 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,[3] and that many players are not paid on time or at all.[3][4] 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".[2] Writing for the BBC, Matt Slater said "professional footballers do not enjoy the same freedoms that almost every other EU worker does",[5] 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".[4]
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.[6] The board members are:[7]
- President: Philippe Piat (UNFP, France)
- Vice-President (2019): Francis Awaritefe (Australia)[8]
- Board members Bobby Barnes (PFA, England), Louis Everard (VVCS, Netherlands), Leonardo Grosso (AIC, Italy), Mads Øland, (Spillerforeningen, Denmark), Fernando Revilla (SAFAP, Peru), Luis Rubiales (AFE, Spain), Dejan Stefanovic (SPINS, Slovenia),
- General-Secretary: Jonas Baer-Hoffmann (Germany)[9]
In 1998, for the first time in FIFPro history, a board member was elected by the General Assembly.
Members
Founded on 15 December 1965, FIFPro has 63 full members, 1 special member, 3 candidate members and 6 observers.[10][11][12][13] 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. Of note, Brazil and Germany are not members of FIFPro in spite of their standing in football.
Full members
Argentina.svg.png.webp)
Australia
Austria.svg.png.webp)
Belgium
Bolivia
Botswana
Bulgaria
Cameroon
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
DR Congo
Ecuador
Egypt
England
Finland
France
Gabon
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Hungary
Indonesia
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Malaysia
Malta
Mexico
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
North Macedonia
Norway
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Scotland
Serbia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United States
Uruguay
Venezuela
Zimbabwe
Candidate members
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Slovakia
Zambia
Observers
|
|
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 11 (also known as the FIFPro World XI). Every player was requested to pick one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.[14] In 2009, the world players' union joined hands with FIFA. While the format remained the same, the award name changed to the FIFA FIFPro World11. 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.[15] 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.[15]
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.[16]
In 2014, FIFPro launched a women's football committee.[17] In February 2016, the FIFPro Women's World11 was launched.[18] Players of 33 different nationalities in over 20 countries participated in voting for one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.[19] In 2019, FIFPro announced that, like with the men's award, the Women's award was merging with FIFA to become the FIFA FIFPro Women's World11, and would be announced and presented to the players at FIFA's annual The Best award ceremony.[20]
FIFA FIFPro Men's World XI
Winners
Players marked bold won the FIFA World Player of the Year (2005–2009), the FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015) or The Best FIFA Men's Player (2016–present) in that respective year.
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Appearances by player
| # | Player | Apps | Years | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
14 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus |
| Lionel Messi |
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 | Barcelona | ||
| 3 | Sergio Ramos |
11 | 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 | Real Madrid |
| 4 | Andrés Iniesta |
9 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | Barcelona |
| 5 |  Dani Alves |
8 | 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain |
| 6 | Xavi |
6 | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 | Barcelona |
| Marcelo |
2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | Real Madrid | ||
| 8 | John Terry |
5 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 | Chelsea |
| Iker Casillas |
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 | Real Madrid | ||
| Luka Modrić |
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | Real Madrid | ||
| 11 | Gerard Piqué |
4 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016 | Barcelona |
 Manuel Neuer |
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 | Bayern Munich | ||
| 13 | Ronaldinho |
3 | 2005, 2006, 2007 | Barcelona |
| Kaká |
2006, 2007, 2008 | Milan | ||
| Gianluigi Buffon |
2006, 2007, 2017 | Juventus | ||
| Steven Gerrard |
2007, 2008, 2009 | Liverpool | ||
| Carles Puyol |
2007, 2008, 2010 | Barcelona | ||
| Thiago Silva |
2013, 2014, 2015 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| Toni Kroos |
2014, 2016, 2017 | Bayern Munich, Real Madrid |
Appearances by club
Players in italics have made appearances with multiple clubs, and appearances are separated accordingly.
Appearances by nationality
Continental appearances
| Continent | Apps | Nations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Europe | 115 | Spain (43), Portugal (13), France (12), England (11), Italy (11), Germany (9), Croatia (5), Netherlands (5), Belgium (2), Serbia (2), Poland (1) , Sweden (1), Ukraine (1) |
| 2 | South America | 47 | Brazil (31), Argentina (14), Colombia (1), Uruguay (1) |
| 3 | Africa | 3 | Cameroon (2), Côte d'Ivoire (1) |
| 4 | North America | 1 | Canada (1) |
Winners
Players marked bold won the FIFA World Player of the Year (2001–2015) or The Best FIFA Women's Player (2016–present) in that respective year.
Appearances by player
| Rank | Player | Apps | Years | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wendie Renard |
5 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 | Lyon |
| 2 | Nilla Fischer |
3 | 2016, 2017, 2019 | Wolfsburg, Linköpings |
| Marta |
2016, 2017, 2019 | Rosengård, Orlando Pride | ||
| Alex Morgan |
2016, 2017, 2019 | Lyon, Orlando Pride | ||
| Lucy Bronze |
2017, 2019, 2020 | Manchester City, Lyon | ||
| 6 | Amandine Henry |
2 | 2015, 2019 | Lyon |
| Eugénie Le Sommer |
2015, 2016 | Lyon | ||
| Carli Lloyd |
2015, 2016 | Houston Dash | ||
| Dzsenifer Marozsán |
2016, 2017 | Frankfurt, Lyon | ||
| Hope Solo |
2015, 2016 | Seattle Reign | ||
| Julie Ertz |
2015, 2019 | Chicago Red Stars | ||
| Pernille Harder |
2017, 2020 | Wolfsburg, Chelsea | ||
| Megan Rapinoe |
2019, 2020 | OL Reign (Seattle Reign) |
Appearances by club
Players in italics have made appearances with multiple clubs, and appearances are separated accordingly.
| Club | Apps | Players | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyon |
18 | Renard (5), Bronze (3), Le Sommer (2), Henry (2), Marozsán (2), Hegerberg (1), Morgan (1), Abily (1), Cascarino (1) |
| 2 | Orlando Pride |
6 | Morgan (3), Marta (2), Krieger (1) |
| 3 | Wolfsburg |
5 | Fischer (3), Harder (2) |
| 4 | OL Reign (Seattle Reign) |
4 | Solo (2), Rapinoe (2) |
| 5 | Chelsea |
3 | Lindahl (1), Harder (1), Bright (1) |
| Houston Dash |
3 | Lloyd (2), Klingenberg (1) | |
| Paris Saint-Germain |
3 | Mittag (1), Paredes (1), Endler (1) | |
| Rosengård |
3 | Mittag (1), Marta (1), Martens (1) | |
| 9 | Arsenal |
2 | van Veenendaal (1), Miedema (1) |
| Chicago Red Stars |
2 | Ertz (2) | |
| Frankfurt |
2 | Šašić (1), Marozsán (1) | |
| Manchester City |
2 | Bronze (2) | |
| Utah Royals |
2 | O'Hara (1), Boquete (1) | |
| 14 | Atlético Madrid |
1 | van Veenendaal (1) |
| Barcelona |
1 | Martens (1) | |
| Bayern Munich |
1 | Maier (1) | |
| Juventus |
1 | Bonansea (1) | |
| Linköpings |
1 | Fischer (1) | |
| Manchester United |
1 | Heath (1) | |
| Okayama Yunogo Belle |
1 | Miyama (1) | |
| Portland Thorns |
1 | Heath (1) | |
| Washington Spirit |
1 | Lavelle (1) | |
| West Virginia Mountaineers |
1 | Buchanan (1) |
Appearances by nationality
| Nation | Apps | Player(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
16 | Morgan (3), Lloyd (2), Solo (2), Ertz (2), Rapinoe (2), Klingenberg (1), Krieger (1), O'Hara (1), Lavelle (1), Heath (1) |
| 2 | France |
11 | Renard (5), Le Sommer (2), Henry (2), Abily (1), Cascarino (1) |
| 3 | Germany |
5 | Marozsán (2), Maier (1), Mittag (1), Šašić (1) |
| 4 | England |
4 | Bronze (3), Bright (1) |
| Sweden |
4 | Fischer (3), Lindahl (1) | |
| 6 | Brazil |
3 | Marta (3) |
| Netherlands |
3 | Martens (1), van Veenendaal (1), Miedema (1) | |
| 8 | Denmark |
2 | Harder (2) |
| Spain |
2 | Paredes (1), Boquete (1) | |
| 10 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
1 | Buchanan (1) |
| Chile |
1 | Endler (1) | |
| Italy |
1 | Bonansea (1) | |
| Japan |
1 | Miyama (1) | |
| Norway |
1 | Hegerberg (1) |
Continental appearances
| Continent | Apps | Nations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Europe | 33 | France (11), Germany (5), England (4), Sweden (4), Netherlands (3), Denmark (2), Spain (2), Italy (1), Norway (1) |
| 2 | North America | 17 | USA (16), Canada (1) |
| 3 | South America | 4 | Brazil (3), Chile (1) |
| 4 | Asia | 1 | Japan (1) |
FIFPro World Player of the Year (2005–2008)
| Season | Player | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Barcelona | [42] |
| 2006 | Ronaldinho | Barcelona | [14] |
| 2007 | Kaká | Milan | [43] |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | [44] |
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.[16]
FIFPro Young Player of the Year (2005–2008)
| Season | Player | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Wayne Rooney | Manchester United | [42] |
| 2006 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | [14] |
| 2007 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | [43] |
| 2008 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | [45] |
FIFPro granted this award between 2005–2008, after which it was discontinued.
References
- About FIFPro fifpro.org
- "FIFPro announces legal challenge to transfer system". FIFPro Official Website. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- "Fifpro to launch legal challenge against transfer system because it 'shackles' players". The Telegraph. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- "Players' union Fifpro to take transfer system to European courts". The Guardian. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- "Football transfer system must change, says world players' union". BBC Sport. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- "PHILIPPE PIAT NOMINATED FOR FIFPRO PRESIDENT". FIFPro. 23 September 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- "FIFPRO BOARD". FIFPro. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- Clench, Sam; Johnson, Paul (5 February 2019). "Footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi appears in Thai court pleads against extradition". Archived from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- https://www.fifpro.org/en/about-us/new-general-secretary
- "Division Europe". FIFPro. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- "Division Asia/Oceania". FIFPro. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- "Division Africa". FIFPro. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- "Division Americas". FIFPro. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- "Ronaldinho Voted FIFPro World Player of the Year AGAIN". FIFPro. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- "THE WORLD XI: FOR THE PLAYERS, BY THE PLAYERS". FIFpro. 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- "The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- Vecsey, Laura (18 February 2016). "USWNT stars Solo, Lloyd headline FIFPro Women's World XI". Fox Sports. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- Wahl, Grant (18 February 2016). "FIFPro reveals first Women's World XI". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- Davidson, Neil (18 February 2016). "Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan named to FIFPro Women's World XI". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- FIFA.com (6 May 2019). "The Best FIFA Football Awards™ To Introduce Two New Women's Football Honours". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "FIFPRO WORLD XI 2004/2005". Archived from the original on 1 July 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFPRO WORLD XI 2005/2006". Archived from the original on 1 July 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFPRO WORLD XI 2006/2007". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFPRO WORLD XI 2007/2008". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFA FIFPRO WORLD XI 2009". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFA FIFPRO WORLD XI 2010". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFA FIFPRO WORLD XI 2011". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFA FIFPRO WORLD XI 2012". Archived from the original on 30 June 2013.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "FIFA FIFPRO WORLD XI 2013". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "2014 FIFA FIFPro World XI: How they finished". FIFPro World Players' Union. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- "FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2015". FIFA.com. 11 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- "FIFPRO AND FIFA UNVEIL 2016 WORLD 11". World11.com. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- "FIFA FIFPro World11". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- "DE GEA, KANTE AND MBAPPE IN WORLD 11". FIFPro World Players' Union. 24 September 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "World 11: Look back at the Milan gala". FIFPro World Players' Union. 24 September 2019.
- "THE FIFA FIFPRO MEN'S WORLD 11 OF 2019-2020". FIFPro World Players' Union. 17 December 2020.
- Orsatti, Andrew. "First Women's World XI revealed - FIFPro World Players' Union". fifpro.org. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- Beaard, Raymond. "Las mejores futbolistas: el Once Mundial - FIFPro World Players' Union". fifpro.org. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- Beaard, Raymond. "Revealed: Women's World XI - FIFPro World Players' Union". fifpro.org. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- "2019 FIFPRO Women's World 11". fifpro.org. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
- "THE FIFA FIFPRO WOMEN'S WORLD 11 OF 2019-2020". fifpro.org. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- "Ronaldinho & Rooney scoop awards". BBC Sport. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- "Kaká voted FIFPro World Player of the Year". SAFP. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- "Ronaldo voted FIFPro World Player of the Year". UEFA. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- "Lionel Messi profile". 101GreatGoals. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
External links
- Official website
- FIFA FIFPro World 11 - Award History FIFPro World Players' Union