The international players’ union FIFPRO has criticized the high pressure on players in men’s football. But there is no improvement in sight – the calendar continues to be filled.
On the occasion of the final of the Champions League FIFPRO presented a report on the stress in top-flight football. The load on the calendar as the season progresses “poses an urgent threat to the physical and mental health of players” said FIFPRO President David Aganzo.
FIFPRO listed several examples of high stress in the 2022/23 season. The focus is particularly on regular players at the top level of clubs who reach the end of the competitions.
- Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid and Brazil) played 59 games in nine competitions, according to FIFPRO data. In 75 percent of the games he had a break of less than five days.
- lautaro martinez (Inter Milan and Argentina) had 62 games. He reached almost every possible final: World Cup final, Champions League final, Italian Cup final.
- Pedro Guilherme (Flamengo and Brazil) showed that the burden is not only high in Europe. Like Martinez, he played 62 games – although he only played two games for Brazil at the World Cup.
Criticism of the World Cup date: Little preparation, little break
FIFPRO expressed clear criticism of the scheduling of the World Cup in Qatar in November and December. “Many players arrived in Qatar with their national teams without adequate preparation and had to return to their clubs without adequate time for rest and recovery.” Such a tournament must “be avoided in the future“.
FIFPRO calculated that the players had around 30 days of preparation for the traditional World Cup dates in June and July, compared to just seven in Qatar. After the tournament, the players had a break of more than a month at the usual time, after the World Cup in Qatar only about eight days. Kamil Glik is the negative example – the Polish international played again in Italy’s Serie B for Benevento Calcio just four days after his last World Cup game.
Poland’s Kamil Glik in the World Cup match against Argentina
FIFPRO: The future of the players is in jeopardy
“This puts the future of the game’s main players, the players, at risk”also criticized FIFPRO Secretary General Jonas Baer-Hoffmann. “The industry needs a far greater concerted effort to put in place effective protections for player workloads and a responsible calendar solution.”
In comparison, the burden on young players has increased in particular. Compared to previous English top players like David Beckham, Wayne Rooney or Michael Owen in the time before their 20th birthday Jude Bellingham played far more games and minutes.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham
More burden from reforms of Champions League, World Cup and Club World Cup
But in the future there will be more burden on the players.
- From 2024, the UEFA European Cup competitions will be reformed, and the Champions League alone will then have 189 games instead of the previous 125. There the players have to complete up to four appointments more than before.
- In 2025, the men’s Club World Cup will be held for the first time in a new format with 32 teams instead of the previous seven.
- The Club World Cup is only to be held every four years, with a smaller FIFA competition for clubs in the other years.
- The World Cup for national teams will be expanded to 48 teams, and a further knockout round will be introduced, leading to a maximum of eight games per player instead of the previous maximum of seven.
“This will no doubt further reduce off-season rest time for many players“FIFPRO shared. “In addition, the tournament is associated with a high travel load.“A top player will be able to go from a maximum of 80 games to up to 89 games in a season.
2023-06-08 14:10:54
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