Players’ union says tournament organisers need to accommodate non-professionals
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Research showed that the 2023 AFC Women’s Club Championship had disrupted the lives of more than 90 per cent of participating players.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY
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KUALA LUMPUR – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) needs to consider the lives of non-professional players when organising major tournaments, the global players’ union Fifpro said in a report published on Aug 22.
Fifpro said research showed that the 2023 AFC Women’s Club Championship (AWCC) had disrupted the lives of more than 90 per cent of participating players.
“Players who are not full-time professionals have to balance football with other work, study or family responsibilities,” the union said in the report.
“Only 9 per cent of players said that the AWCC did not disrupt their domestic football or other life commitments.
“Competition organisers need to understand the profile of the athletes participating and implement conditions that alleviate their challenges and maximise the quality of the product.”
Eight clubs competed in the 2023 championship, playing in round-robin matches held over a week in November in Thailand and Uzbekistan. The two group winners then advanced to the final in May, with Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds beating South Korea’s Incheon Red Angels at home.
After the tournament, Fifpro spoke to 88 players from the participating clubs, with more than a third of those surveyed saying they were not professional and 23 per cent reporting excessive strain from the tournament format.
Former Australia international Kathryn Gill said players’ “lived realities” should be taken into account when developing the sport.
“This can only occur through establishing a genuine partnership between the AFC, leagues, clubs and players, and not through unilaterally overlaying regulations that are fit for men’s competitions on to female competitions,” she said in a Fifpro statement on the report.
The AFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Fifpro report also criticised the AFC’s decision to initially cancel the final before reversing its decision.
“The AFC acted unilaterally and communicated without transparency. This culture must change if these continental competitions are to succeed for all stakeholders,” the union added.
The AWCC was designed as a pilot competition for the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League, which will see its winners bagging at least US$1.3 million (S$1.7 million), the biggest payout for women’s club football in Asia.
It kicks off on Aug 25 with the four-pool preliminary stage, in which Singapore’s Lion City Sailors will face India’s Odisha in Jordan, before meeting Jordanian club Etihad on Aug 28.
The four pool winners will advance to the group stage, where they will join eight clubs from higher-ranked nations including Urawa. REUTERS
