The increase in the number of competitions and matches is overloading many players, denounced the International Union of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) on Thursday, showing its concern about the plans for the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
According to data from the union structure, the Brazilian from Real Madrid junior viniciusThe 22-year-old has already played around 19,000 minutes, twice as many as his compatriot Ronaldinho, now 43, had played at the same age.
At the age of 20, Spanish Pedro is english Jude Bellingham they have 25% and 30%, respectively, more playing time than Xavi and Wayne Rooney, at the same age.
The new competitive models of the Champions League, with 36 clubs, and the World Cup, with 48 teams, which should come into force in the 2024/2025 season, can, according to FIFPro, lead a player to play up to 89 games per season, plus 11% of what currently.
The report also denounces the insufficient rest between games, giving the example of the Portuguese international Bruno Fernandesof Manchester United, who played 74% of the games with less than five days of rest, 20 of which were consecutive.
According to the report, the Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandezwho in January went from Benfica to Chelsea, played 70% of the games without five days off, and had just nine days off between the 2022 Qatar World Cup final and his return to the reds.
“There are an unprecedented number of international competitions, tournaments and national team matches, which also require a lot of travel,” says FIFPro in a report warning about “the harmful effects of calendar congestion on the health and well-being of players”.
“The cannibalization of the match schedule puts much more mental and physical pressure on top players than players of previous generations had,” lamented FIFPro General Secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann.
Source: TSF
