FIFPRO Europe has formally joined the UEFA Executive Committee with voting rights, marking a significant step forward for player representation within European football governance.
The development was approved at the UEFA Congress, with FIFPRO Europe President David Terrier becoming the first player representative to hold voting rights within UEFA’s top decision-making body.
FIFPRO Europe represents more than 35,000 professional footballers, both men and women, through 36 affiliated national unions. Among its current priorities are introducing workload safeguards for elite-level players, accelerating the professionalisation of women’s football, and negotiating collectively agreed transfer rules following the European Court of Justice’s ruling in the case of Lassana Diarra.
David Terrier, FIFPRO Europe President, said:
“By including FIFPRO Europe in its governance structure, UEFA is leading by example among regional football confederations. This strengthens trust and stability among stakeholders and is a positive development towards the implementation of collective agreements that offer a fair and sustainable way to regulate professional football.
"I look forward to further strengthening our cooperation with UEFA and President Aleksander Čeferin, and to working with my fellow UEFA Executive Committee members on decisions that serve European football’s best interests.”
The appointment ensures that players are formally represented at the highest level of decision-making in European football.
The PFA has long maintained that players are central stakeholders in the game and that decisions affecting their working lives must be taken with their legitimate representatives fully involved. Establishing formal representation at UEFA level sets an important standard for inclusive governance across the wider football landscape.
Maheta Molango, PFA CEO and FIFPRO Global Board Member, said:
“This is a significant milestone for players, for FIFPRO and, more broadly, in the history of player unions.
“For the first time, players now have a permanent seat with voting rights at the highest level of European football governance. It delivers what we have consistently argued for - that decisions affecting players’ working lives must be taken with their legitimate representatives at the table.
“Once you establish that principle at UEFA level, it sets a crucial precedent. It demonstrates that structured player representation at decision-making level is possible and good for the game.
“That naturally opens the door for leagues and governing bodies, both domestically and globally, to reflect on how players are represented within their own governance structures.”