FIFPRO Supports Fenerbahçe Team and Players!

The events during the Trabzonspor–Fenerbahçe match have resonated not only within the country but also globally. Most recently, FIFPRO has issued a statement on the matter.

The statement from FIFPRO includes the following remarks:

“ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PERPETRATORS OF VIOLENCE”

“Public authorities and football leaders have a responsibility to protect the safety and welfare of players in their workplaces, and we expect the strongest possible measures to be taken against the violence perpetrated by Trabzonspor fans yesterday. Those who throw objects at players and invade the field to engage with opposing teams should be held accountable for their actions, underlining that violence is unacceptable in any area of professional football. The continuous throwing of objects onto the pitch during the match and the burning of flares also require an assessment of whether the match should have been suspended before escalations of aggression occurred after the final whistle.

VIOLENCE IN FOOTBALL

Yesterday’s events and last week’s attack on Italian player Ciro Immobile and his family are symbolic of a broader trend in football markets. They reinforce concerns raised in the FIFPRO Men’s Football Workplace Security Report released in January: two-thirds of national unions believe that some elements of fan culture have become “increasingly violent and abusive” in recent years, and 98% of unions have called for greater use of technology in stadiums to combat this trend, alongside other measures such as fan dialogue. In early April, FIFPRO Europe and the Cypriot players’ union PASP will host a series of national and international experts under the auspices of the Cyprus National Police to discuss players’ health and safety in more detail.”