W/Cup Player Signs Petition Calling For Protection From Extreme Heat

Norway midfielder Morten Thorsby has warned that “everybody in football loses” if FIFA fails to do more to protect players from extreme heat at this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Thorsby is among a group of current and former professional footballers who have written to football’s world governing body calling for stronger heat protocols ahead of the expanded tournament.

The letter supports concerns raised by leading scientists and medical experts, who warned that FIFA’s current heat safety measures should be strengthened and could put player safety at risk.

“It’s also a message to FIFA – they have to do more to take care of people and the planet,” the 30-year-old said.

“They have a huge responsibility and they’re not doing enough in terms of how big their impact and their influence is,” he said.

Thorsby, who plays for Italian Serie A side Cremonese and has campaigned on climate issues in football for more than a decade, is expected to feature at the World Cup after Norway qualified for the tournament for the first time in 28 years.

Heat is predicted to be a major issue during the competition, with researchers warning that temperatures at 14 of the 16 stadiums being used could exceed dangerous levels.

FIFA has said it has enhanced heat protocols for the tournament, including mandatory three-minute cooling breaks in every half of every match, regardless of the conditions.

A FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff.”

However, the players’ letter argues that FIFA should go further, backing calls from medical experts for stronger protections including longer cooling breaks and clearer protocols for delaying or postponing games in extreme conditions.

“For the players, it’s an obvious problem of heat impacting the performance. Obviously the intensity of the game goes down,” Thorsby said.

“There are dangers related to heat-related problems, but it’s also a huge problem for the spectators.

“Football is also an entertainment industry. The spectacle and the show and the sport loses its value if the players are not able to perform at their best.

“Everybody in football loses by not tackling this.”

The letter has been signed by players past and present from across the men’s and women’s game, including Italy defender Elena Linari, former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha and Ipswich Town forward Chuba Akpom.

Thorsby said more high-profile footballers need to join the debate despite fears about public scrutiny.

“The more profiled and the more attention you have, the more difficult it is to speak up because you know how much attention it creates,” he said.

Thorsby founded the We Play Green foundation to encourage footballers to engage with climate and environmental issues.

“I know that the players are scared – they’re concerned about opinions of people. So that’s an obstacle that we need to overcome,” he said.

“Football players are the most influential people on the planet.

“If we could gather momentum among the players, getting them to speak up about these issues, we could really accelerate the green shift and the sustainability within football.

“When you have this voice, you have it because you’re good at what you’re doing – playing football – which is a privilege.
“We’re not special. We’re lucky.”

FIFA has previously maintained that it is committed to protecting the health and safety of everyone involved at the World Cup and said scheduling, stadium selection and operational planning have taken climate conditions into account. It has however not reacted to the latest development.

The players’ letter also called on FIFA to take “serious climate action” and drop fossil fuel sponsors.

FIFA’s global partners include Aramco, the Saudi Arabia state-owned energy company and the world’s largest oil company, which signed a four-year global partnership with the governing body in 2024.

A FIFA spokesperson said the organisation remains “committed to ensuring that its partnerships contribute to the long-term development of the game and to broader social and environmental objectives”.

They added, “FIFA will reinvest nearly 90% of the projected $14bn revenue for the 2027–30 cycle back into the global game.

“This record level of reinvestment helps ensure football can be organised and developed in more than 100 countries where it would otherwise not be possible -underpinned by commercial partnerships, including those with global partners such as Aramco.”

Thorsby has previously criticised the environmental impact of major tournaments, describing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as “an absolute disaster” for the environment.

Despite his concerns, he said the World Cup still has an important global role to play.

“In the times that we’re in today, with such a fragmented world, I think a World Cup is extremely important in terms of world peace and having a meeting place where all nations can meet,” he said.

“Maybe football is one of the few things we still have in common.

“Some types of emissions, some types of footprint, we have to allow ourselves.

“Maybe a World Cup is actually something that, if you think about all the aspects, has a positive effect on the world right now,” he said.