Mamelodi Sundowns could now be set to miss out on facing English and Spanish teams at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The new 32-team format of the Club World Cup has already drawn much criticism, with some accusing FIFA of ignoring player welfare by adding yet more games to the international calendar.
Read: FCSB coach: The stack of cash Ngezana gave me was too much!
Concerns over a congested fixture list has not been an issue that is unique to FIFA only, though, with UEFA have also received their fair share of criticism over the imminent introduction of a 36-team UEFA Champions League.
Worryingly for FIFA, however, its flagship club tournament could now be derailed as the Premier League, LALIGA, and England's Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) have all threatened to pull their teams out of the Club World Cup.
As such, with Sundowns having qualified for the showpiece via the CAF ranking pathway, they could now miss out on the chance to play against Chelsea, Manchester City, and Real Madrid at the tournament next year.
Get the latest soccer news and be ahead of the game. Follow our WhatsApp Channel via this link!
"Football is killing its own product," PFA chief executive Maheta Molango told The Sun.
"Those who run the game need to listen. If they don't, then as unions we have a responsibility to the players to take action – and the legal route is the next step.
"The governing bodies have had every chance to meaningfully engage with us on this, but they have failed to do so. Current player workloads are unsustainable."
LALIGA president Javier Tebas, Premier League chief Richard Masters and Molango are reportedly set to discuss the situation when they meet at the FIFPRO and PFA Player Workload Conference in London on Thursday.
As things stand, the Club World Cup will be played in the United States from 15 June to 13 July in 2025.
Read: De Sa picks Euros winner: They're going to be red-hot
This believed to be a particularly big point of contention as the aforementioned leagues feel that the players would have to return to action without having the compulsory three-week break at the end of the season, which is written into all professional contracts.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.