A new international players' union is set to be unveiled in Spain on Thursday amid a legal dispute between the existing global players' body FIFPRO and FIFA.
Four player unions, led by Spain's AFE and its president David Aganzo, will be the co-founders of the new global entity, a media notice stated.
Aganzo will set out the union's plans at a news conference in Madrid on Thursday morning, the notice said.
A statement from FIFA said it was aware of the move, and that the union's name would be AIF, the Association of International Footballers.
"Like others, FIFA has been made aware of the creation of AIF," a FIFA spokesperson said.
"As a general principle, FIFA remains committed to open and constructive engagement with football stakeholders that uphold core principles, including representativeness."
Relations between FIFPRO and FIFA have been strained to say the least since the European branch of the union launched legal action, alongside European Leagues, against FIFA in 2024 over what it sees as a failure to consult over the international calendar and FIFA's alleged abuse of a dominant position in the market.
Sources close to FIFPRO said the union was not invited to a meeting in Rabat last year, where FIFA claimed a consensus had been reached on a number of player welfare issues.
Aganzo was invited, along with the president of another founder member of the new union -- Rinaldo Martorelli from the Sao Paulo players' union in Brazil.
Aganzo, who was president of FIFPRO until 2024, cut AFE's ties with FIFPRO earlier this year in order to create a new international union.
FIFPRO on Thursday criticized the new group.
"FIFPRO recognises the strong work over several decades of AFE for men's football players in Spain," it said in a statement. "However, the concept announced in Madrid by its current president appears nothing more than a speculative attempt to boost his own standing through a group which lacks the fundamental legitimacy to represent professional footballers globally."
FIFPRO said the new concept was "driven by personal motives rather than a mandate from players around the world."
Aganzo said the new model for a players' union was needed in part because players' voices were not being heard through FIFPRO. The new group said women's players also needed stronger representation.
"Soccer players need a stronger voice," Aganzo said. "They don't have the possibility to make decisions. AIF has been created to fight for them."
FIFPRO said Aganzo "has engaged with groups that fail to meet basic standards of player representation," which it said must "be responsible and sustainable, built from the players up, through collective structures that ensure independence, legitimacy and accountability."
"Such an approach to player representation is not in the best interests of professional footballers."
FIFPRO claims its role is based on a mandate from 70 national player associations representing more than 60,000 footballers and is formally recognised by the European Union and international football governing bodies and stakeholders.
AIF will be governed by members from unions in Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland.
Information from PA and The Associated Press was used in this report.