Fifa faces legal threat over congested calendar [Video]

World governing body Fifa is facing the threat of legal action from world players’ union Fifpro and the World Leagues Association – which includes the Premier League – if it continues with plans to host a 32-team Club World Cup at the end of next season.

They say the global football calendar is “now beyond saturation, to the point that national leagues are unable to properly organise their competitions” while “players are being pushed beyond their limits, with significant injury risks and impacts on their welfare”.

BBC Sport reported in December that the PFA was taking legal advice over the lack of consultation over an increasingly congested calendar and the impact that was likely to have on its members.

PFA chief executive Maheta Molango has been part of a series of high-level discussions over the intervening period, including the European Leagues general assembly last month when Premier League chief executive …