AIF Report:
“AIF is born. A new model in pursuit of the rights of footballers,” David Aganzo began the presentation of AIF.
The president of the new international footballers' union appeared alongside the other members of the current organizational structure. This union will represent more than 30,000 active footballers and currently has Álvaro Ortiz of the Mexican Footballers' Association as General Secretary, and Rinaldo José Zaffaroni Martorelli of the Professional Athletes' Union of the State of São Paulo and Lucien W. Valloni of the Swiss Football Players Association as vice-presidents.
David Aganzo, as president, was the first to speak.
The Spanish leader wanted to outline the new union's key principles from the outset.
“Footballers today are losing power, losing rights, and losing guarantees. This union will fight to recover the guarantee fund we had with FIFA.”
“There are many footballers suffering terribly from unpaid wages around the world,” he stated.
AIF will be a union that is “close to the footballers. The words closeness, transparency, and rights will be the foundation of this union,” the president affirmed.
Aganzo continued his remarks, noting that “the voice of the footballer is currently silenced. The key players in football are silenced and unable to make decisions. Here, we fight for the athletes. The most important thing is the guarantees for footballers, wherever they are from.”
Before introducing the rest of the AIF Board members, the president wanted to make it clear that footballers “are not where they should be.”
“We understand that players, both men and women, have to make the decisions about football.”
This new union believes that something was being lost in the current landscape.
Women's football, key
One of AIF's strengths will be the defense of women's football. Álvaro Ortiz was in charge of explaining the new union's approach regarding the situation of female footballers in much of the world. “Women's football will be one of the cornerstones. The progress of women's football must be recognized. But enormous gaps still exist between leagues around the world. In some cases, basic conditions simply don't exist,” he stated, referring to the different conditions for female footballers depending on the country they play in.
He also emphasized the importance of regulating maternity leave worldwide, noting that it is something that “must be addressed.”
“No player should have her career jeopardized by becoming a mother. You can't choose between being a mother and being a professional.”
An important step towards improving players' careers.
“AIF will be the bridge between the players and the institutions.”
“We will work to reduce existing inequalities. We are here to build with strength.”