South African forward Jermaine Seoposenwe, Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade and Zambian star Racheal Kundananji are among eight African players that have been roped into the prestigious and powerful Global Player Council (GPC) whose main aim is to ensure that player voices are central to decisions shaping the future of the game.
The Mexico-based star joins 36 other international players – male and female – from across the globe in a committee launched by FIFPRO, the players’ world representative body.
Other African players on the list are from the male side, Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo, South Africa’s Terrence Mashigo, Marshall Munetsi from Zimbabwe, Roberto Lopes (Cape Verde) and Victor Wanyama of Kenya.
The representatives are the who’s who of football, with players like Lucy Bronze of England, Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands), Argentina World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and Allesandro Bastoni (Italy).
“All council members are closely engaged with their domestic player unions, ensuring their representation at the global level is grounded in the support and guidance of their national associations,” said FIFPRO in a statement.
“The council will support FIFPRO and its national associations on player-centric matters such as the international match calendar, employment standards, player data, social media abuse, and more. While national player unions are the key driver of the collective voice of footballers domestically, the council strengthens the capacity to address issues at the international level.”
The Global Player Council was first launched in 2019. It’s main aim is to provide a platform for active players with international experience to speak directly on matters affecting their careers. It ensures perspectives from both men’s and women’s football across different continents and competitions are heard.
Global Player Council members:
- Rasheedat Ajibade (Nigeria)
- Alessandro Bastoni (Italy)
- Lucy Bronze (England)
- Deyna Castellanos (Venezuela)
- Aldana Cometti (Argentina)
- Charlyn Corral (Mexico)
- Tierna Davidson (USA)
- Crystal Dunn (USA)
- Wataru Endo (Japan)
- Magdalena Eriksson (Sweden)
- Yui Hasegawa (Japan)
- Jackson Irvine (Australia)
- Racheal Kundananji (Zambia)
- Elena Linari (Italy)
- Ashalata Devi Loitongbam (India)
- Roberto Lopes (Cape Verde)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)
- Ana Lucia Martinez (Guatemala)
- Terrence Mashego (South Africa)
- Griedge Mbock (France)
- Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands)
- Marshall Munetsi (Zimbabwe)
- Robin Propper (Netherlands)
- Rizky Ridho (Indonesia)
- Miles Robinson (USA)
- Leicy Santos (Colombia)
- Rasmus Schuller (Finland)
- Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)
- Jermaine Seoposenwe (South Africa)
- Vladimir Stojkovic (Serbia)
- Gabriel Torres (Panama)
- Xime Velazco (Uruguay)
- Barbora Votikova (Czechia)
- Victor Wanyama (Kenya)
- Caroline Weir (Scotland)
- Chris Wood (New Zealand)
- Tameka Yallop (Australia)
“All of these players have demonstrated leadership on and off the pitch and we’re proud to have them as members of FIFPRO’s Global Player Council. Footballers hold the power to shape their industry for the better. We thank these players for devoting their time and effort to advocating and defending the rights of their colleagues with such passion and courage,” said FIFPRO Secretary General Alex Phillips.
