"We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players' rights." That was David Aganzo on Thursday in Madrid, unveiling the International Footballers' Association (AIF) — a direct challenge to FIFPRO's grip on global player representation.
Aganzo, president of Spain's AFE and a former FIFPRO head, is leading the new body. Players' unions from Brazil, Mexico, and Switzerland stood alongside him at the launch. He claims 15 to 20 more unions are already waiting to join.
FIFPRO fires back — and the gloves are off
FIFPRO's response was swift and pointed. The organisation accused Aganzo of acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement. It's a serious charge, and it signals this won't be a polite disagreement between rival umbrella organisations.
Aganzo rejected all of it, saying he "will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO." Whether he gets that wish is another matter entirely.
AFE's decision to back the AIF wasn't a close call. Their Extraordinary General Assembly approved it in February with 99.8% of votes in favour — and simultaneously backed withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing a "complete lack of transparency" and failure to engage with international governing bodies. That's a clean break, not a falling-out.
FIFA's shadow looms over the whole thing
The timing is loaded. Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO collapsed in 2024 after the union filed a complaint with the European Commission, arguing FIFA abused its dominant position by expanding the international calendar without proper consultation. The 32-team Club World Cup, the expanded World Cup format, the relentless fixture pile-up — these are all part of that dispute.
Aganzo denied that FIFA president Gianni Infantino is backing the AIF, but didn't exactly distance himself either. "Direct dialogue with FIFA," he said, is essential. He'll be sitting down with Infantino at the FIFA Congress on April 30th. Draw your own conclusions.
For anyone tracking World Cup qualification markets or the political temperature around the 2026 tournament, this split matters. A players' union more willing to work with FIFA rather than sue it changes the negotiating landscape — potentially smoothing the path for calendar expansion that governing bodies want and many players and clubs have resisted.
When asked about reports that a Trump envoy had urged FIFA to swap Iran for Italy at the World Cup, Aganzo kept it simple: "People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit." His meeting with Infantino on the 30th will be telling.
