(Reuters) – Asia’s 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 Thursday.
FIFPro said research showed that last year’s AFC Women’s Club Championship (AWCC) had disrupted the lives of more than 90% percent of participating players.
“Players who are not full-time professionals have to balance football with other work, study or family responsibilities,” FIFPro said in the report.
“Only nine percent 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, with the two group winners advancing to the final, which was held in May in Japan.
After the tournament, FIFPro spoke to 88 players from the participating clubs, with more than a third of the footballers surveyed saying they were not professional and 23 percent reporting excessive strain from the tournament format.
Former Australia international Kathryn Gill said it was important for women’s football in Asia to be developed in a way that took the players’ “lived realities” into account.
“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,” Gill said in a FIFPro statement on the report.
The AFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FIFPro report also highlighted a lack of transparency in the AFC’s decision to initially cancel the final of the tournament, which they later reversed.
“Clubs and players incurred significant costs to participate in the groups and then were unexpectedly denied the opportunity to compete for prestige,” the report said.
“The AFC acted unilaterally and communicated without transparency. This culture must change if these continental competitions are to succeed for all stakeholders.”
Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds beat Incheon Red Angels in the final held in May, two months later than originally planned.
The Club Championship was designed as a pilot competition for the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League, which begins on Sunday.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
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