Marquinhos, Vinicius, Camavinga, Zaire-Emery, Haaland, Machado, Gavi, Todibo: here is the non-exhaustive list of players who recently joined the infirmary while they were with their national team over the last ten days. Ranging from simple muscular discomfort to rupture of the cruciate ligaments – for Barcelona midfielder Gavi – all have in common the fact that they have played between 15 and 21 matches since the start of the season, an average of three matches per week. .
“It has been denounced for a long time“, deplores to franceinfo David Terrier, president of the Europe division of Fifpro, the global union of professional football players, gathered for its annual congress in South Africa. “We have carried out studies and surveys with ‘team performance’ managers, or by doctors. And for them, it’s simply impossible to keep up with this workload that is imposed on the players. Physically, it is not sustainable, and it causes injuries.”
The World Cup has increased injuries
Injuries which have increased with the Qatar 2022 World Cup, as revealed by the study by the insurance firm Howden. “The number of injuries after the World Cup has a physical impact on the players who are paying a high price“, notes David Terrier, also vice-president of the UNFP, the national union of professional footballers.
“We are destroying football for more competitions, more matches, more winnings. There are going to be more TV rights, which will generate more money.”
David Terrier, president of the Europe division of Fifprofranceinfo
“Yes, this will make it possible to give more money to the federationshe continues, but it is to the detriment of football, to the detriment of the respect of spectators and viewers who pay very dearly for their subscriptions. We are simply destroying the product.”
Same story with the superpowerful English Premier League. The players’ union, the PFA and its president Maheta Molango note for franceinfo that “the calendar at the start of each season is the number 1 subject that concerns players“. And added: “This concerns all clubs. Around 64% of players in the championship are foreigners, and most play with their national team. They are all very aware of the situation, that this could harm their health, but also the quality of the football product. They realize that what they see on the pitch is not what they would like to see as supporters.“
Varane and Tchouaméni as whistleblowers
And the players in all this? Some alert the general public. This is the case of former French international Raphaël Varane. The Manchester United player had decided on his own to stop the Blues, motivated by physical and mental wear and tear. “It is a sad observation to see that a player, who could have been captain of the France team, had to make drastic decisions because his body and his mental health said stop“, regrets Maheta Molango who was able to count on the support of Raphaël Varane to move the lines in the Premier League.
Other players have pointed out the crazy schedules, like Aurélien Tchouaméni. The Real Madrid midfielder had strong words last October, on the eve of the match against the Netherlands. “Obviously we play too many matches. (…) Today, it’s rare to have just one match per week. Organisms are put to the test. It’s up to the authorities to do something and at some point, it will be up to us, the players, to bang our fists on the table. (…) For a player, playing 80 or 90 matches is not possible.“
Defender and captain Virgil van Dijk made essentially the same remarks immediately afterward. An initiative welcomed by David Terrier, however with one reservation: “It’s rare because players are afraid of tarnishing their image. Afterwards, what we tell them is not to go there as individuals, it is the role of our union to alert and take the blows for them. But we need to have a global, general mobilization.”
“The dictatorship” of the authorities
The vice-president of the UNFP points the finger “a form of dictatorship”, imposed by the authorities on the players. And take the concrete example of the Club World Cup: “The agreement signed with Fifa to increase the number of participating clubs was made with the ECA, the association of European professional clubs. explains David Terrier. “There was an agreement with club representatives, but when were the players asked for their opinion on an expanded World Cup, in a schedule that will be untenable? It will be played in June, add to the national selection calendar… The players will have to make a choice, and perhaps not be able to play for their country because the selection does not pay them. This was decided in a form of dictatorship, it was imposed to the players. We can’t hear him.”
“Each organization, league, body, looks at its calendar in isolation, and that’s the problem“, adds Maheta Molango. “If you look at the Premier League schedule in isolation, it makes sense. If you do the same with UEFA, that also makes sense, although I doubt it. But when you combine them, it makes no sense.”
And take the example of the new format of the Champions League which will add four group matches, including two in January in the middle of the African Cup of Nations. “How do we reconcile the CAN with a crucial period at club level in the Champions League for a player?“, he asks. “How do we deal with the Club World Cup which would end on July 15, and the resumption of the Premier League which is on August 10? It’s an impossible schedule, which harms the health of the players and the quality of the show.”
Strike and meager victories
An overloaded schedule which irritates the players, but also the coaches. “I spoke with Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool), Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) or Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), they are all unanimous on the fact that it is too much“, relates the president of the English players’ union.
“When Guardiola himself asks his players to take a stand and even consider going on strike, we should all be aware of the danger. We must avoid that, but a solution must be offered to the players.”
Maheta Molango, president of the English players’ unionfranceinfo
To avoid reaching these extremes, the beginnings of a dialogue have been established, in particular with UEFA. “We are currently working, via Zvonimir Boban, director of football at UEFA, on various measures“, slips Molango. And in particular on the question of additional time: “Concretely, compared to the World Cup in Qatar, where there were sometimes 10 or 12 minutes of added time, UEFA did not follow the IFAB recommendation (body which governs the laws of football, editor’s note). They reduced to try to relieve the players. It’s not enough, but it’s a first step,” greets David Terrier. A meager victory which must call upon others to preserve the beautiful gameas FIFA President Gianni Infantino likes to call it.