FIFA chief takes aim at 'combative' players' union boss for being 'more Papal than the Pope' as row over welfare escalates

The explosive war over player welfare has spectacularly escalated – with FIFA’s chief legal officer taking aim at the union’s president.

Emilio Garcia Silvero has accused global players’ union FIFPRO boss Sergio Marchi of being ‘in a constant state of opposition’ and of attempting to be ‘even more Papal than the Pope’.

In the wake of the expanded Club World Cup and an increasing calendar, Marchi had accused FIFA of choosing to 'continue increasing its income at the expense of the players' bodies and health', likened its approach to the 'bread and circuses' tactics used by Emperor Nero in ancient Rome and warned there could be no repeat of playing matches in such extreme heat at next summer's World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

However, in an extraordinary, retaliatory attack, Silvero has gone onto the offensive. ‘Over the last few weeks, it looks like some people are more concerned about making waves in the media instead of the real issues and problems players have to face,’ he said. ‘I believe being the FIFPRO president doesn't mean you have to find a new disagreement every day.

‘My impression is that Sergio is in a state of constant opposition—not just opposing for the sake of it, but rather in a permanent effort to appear, and to demonstrate to other European associations, that he can be even “more papal than the Pope”—more combative against FIFA than even the European unions themselves and, honestly, this surprises me.’

FIFPRO represent around 66,000 men’s and women’s players across the globe. And Silvero suggested the body is not fit for purpose.

‘I believe there is a very, very large disconnect between the global players’ union and those they claim to represent,’ he added.

Marchi laid into FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and Silvero was quick to defend his boss.‘Sergio said that Gianni Infantino “is God” or “thinks he is God”,’ he added. ‘Frankly, I think this is far too personal. Clearly, he is not because he was not able to stop the storms and bad weather we had during the (FIFA) Club World Cup. He is a human being, with mistakes and with achievements.’

Marchi had also raised questions over how ‘democratic’ FIFA was. But Silvero turned that onto the union itself. ‘Speaking of democracy, we don’t know anything (about FIFPRO)—how is FIFPRO financed?’ he said. ‘Don’t give lectures if you don’t have a leg to stand on. We probably are not a perfect organisation, but since 2016, since President Infantino was elected, FIFA has changed not just a lot, but so much in terms of transparency.

‘FIFPRO is not the sole player union, and that’s what FIFPRO wants to be. They don’t want us to talk to anyone else. However, FIFPRO doesn’t have any representatives in Brazil; FIFPRO doesn’t have representatives in Ecuador; FIFPRO doesn’t have representatives in Germany.’

Silvero’s comments are the latest in a punchy back and forth. Earlier this month, FIFA accused FIFPRO of 'grandstanding', 'blackmail' and 'operating in opacity' over their financial accounts.