fifa

March 18, 2025 12:43 PM

FIFA report finds wide discrepancy in women’s pay, contracts, attendance

The average annual salary for a female professional soccer player globally is $10,900, says FIFA's annual report on the women's game, a figure skewed by a small number of top clubs. Among the teams FIFA designated as Tier 1, which includes 41 clubs from 16 countries, the average salary was around $24,030, although 16 of those top clubs paid an average gross salary of over $50,000, according to the "Setting the Pace, FIFA Benchmarking Report on Women's Football" released on Monday. The highest ...

March 7, 2025 10:15 AM

Sunil Chhetri makes surprise return to football at 40

Legendary Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri has come out of retirement from international football after a discussion with head coach Manolo Marquez, who emphasized the importance of having the star player back in action as India prepares for the upcoming Asian Cup qualification. Chhetri has been included in the 26-member Indian senior men’s squad for the March FIFA International Window. The squad was announced by head coach Manolo Marquez on Thursday. Chhetri, the fourth-highest international...

December 20, 2024 10:22 AM

FIFA chief hails women-only crowd at Iranian top-flight clash

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has offered "heartfelt gratitude" to Iranian authorities for allowing tens of thousands of female fans to attend a top-flight soccer match between Sepahan against Persepolis this week. After calls for Iran to be banned from the 2022 World Cup because of the continued exclusion of women from football matches in the Islamic republic, Infantino adopted a policy of personal engagement with the country's leadership. Monday's Pro League clash at Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jaha...

December 12, 2024 1:16 PM

Saudi Arabia’s world cup win sparks criticism over human rights record, FIFA faces backlash

Rights organisations strongly criticised FIFA on Wednesday after world soccer's ruling body officially awarded the 2034 men's World Cup to Saudi Arabia. Hosting the global showpiece tournament is the pinnacle of Saudi Arabia's massive push into sports and entertainment over recent years as it seeks to improve its international image. "FIFA's reckless decision... will put many lives at risk," Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's Head of Labour Rights and Sport, said in a statement issued by ...

November 11, 2024 10:11 AM

FIFA must halt Saudi World Cup bid due to human rights issues, says Amnesty

FIFA must halt the process to pick Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 World Cup unless major human rights reforms are announced before the vote next month, Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) have said. Soccer's world governing body awarded the 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Spain and Portugal in October last year while Saudi Arabia is the lone bidder for the 2034 edition. Amnesty and the SRA said they had evaluated the human rights strategies proposed by the bidding c...